Hatsukokoro Nakagawa 300mm Kiritsuke Yanagi Shirogami 3 Abura Honyaki Kyomen Ebony Blonde Buffalo Horn

Beautifully hand forged and kyomen mirror finished shirogami 3 carbon steel differentially heat treated oil quench honyaki with horn ferruled ebony handle.

Nakagawa-san's knives are characterized by excellent heat control during forging and a very thorough heat treatment creating knives that have superb edge formation and edge life with good toughness.

These knives feature super fine grinding by Morihiro, known for his single and wide double bevel grinding work. Morihiro was instrumental in bringing Sakai's tradition of single bevel grinding to double bevel wa-hocho.

Shirogami 3 is the lowest carbon content of the shirogami group of steels yet is still a very high carbon alloy loved for it's ability to take an amazing edge. Shiro 3 has the greatest toughness of all shirogami steels which makes it a good choice for a tougher oil quench honyaki. Honyaki heat treatment relies on a single steel blade as opposed to a clad steel / mild steel or iron construction. Honyaki can be more brittle so oil quench shiro 3 will be the toughest of honyaki blades. Oil quench shirogami 3 honyaki will hold an edge much longer than clad shirogami 3 and has the ability to have a very fine but slightly toothy feeling edge at fine finishes. A great steel for those who sharpen.

The entire blade will develop a patina with use, especially with acidic foods. Special attention is needed to keep from rusting. Do not leave wet. Hand wash and dry, no dishwasher. Hardwood-end grain or softwood long grain cutting boards are preferred; avoid bamboo and plastic cutting boards. Rust can be removed with a light abrasive.