The nakiri (Japan's dedicated vegetable knife) is a natural fit for the Katayama Damascus construction. A flat-profiled blade designed for push cuts through vegetables does not need the belly of a gyuto or the pointed tip of a bunka - it needs full board contact, good blade height for knuckle clearance, and a surface finish that aids food release. The sandblasted and polished stainless Damascus cladding on the Katayama-san knives delivers on the last point with a texture that contributes both visual character and a slightly reduced contact surface on the jigane (outer cladding steel). Katayama-san trained under Saji-san in Echizen for close to a decade before launching his own workshop in 2021.
This is a compact but well-proportioned nakiri - light enough at 134g to stay nimble through extended prep sessions, with enough blade height for comfortable push cuts without knuckle contact. The VG10 core at 61 HRC is hammer-forged san-mai with a 50/50 even grind, approachable on quality water stones and low-maintenance as stainless steel in daily kitchen use. The kiyaki octagonal handle and ebony ferrule sit well together visually and feel comfortable in a pinch grip through longer work at the board.
Care Instructions: VG10 is low maintenance stainless steel. Hand wash and dry after use - do not put in the dishwasher. Sharpen on quality water stones when the edge needs attention and maintain with a ceramic rod or strop between full sharpenings.
Each knife is made by hand so measurements may vary.Blacksmith: Katayama San
Location: Echizen, Japan
Construction: Hammer Forged, San Mai
Edge Steel: VG10 Stainless
Cladding: Stainless Damascus
HRC: 61
Edge Grind: 50/50
Handle: Kiyaki Octagonal
Ferrule: Ebony
Weight: 4.9 oz (138 g)
Blade Length: 160 mm
Total Length: 310 mm
Spine Thickness at Heel: 2 mm
Blade Height: 50 mm
This is a compact but well-proportioned nakiri - light enough at 134g to stay nimble through extended prep sessions, with enough blade height for comfortable push cuts without knuckle contact. The VG10 core at 61 HRC is hammer-forged san-mai with a 50/50 even grind, approachable on quality water stones and low-maintenance as stainless steel in daily kitchen use. The kiyaki octagonal handle and ebony ferrule sit well together visually and feel comfortable in a pinch grip through longer work at the board.
Care Instructions: VG10 is low maintenance stainless steel. Hand wash and dry after use - do not put in the dishwasher. Sharpen on quality water stones when the edge needs attention and maintain with a ceramic rod or strop between full sharpenings.
Each knife is made by hand so measurements may vary.
