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 Katayama-san's 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.
At 161mm blade length with 50mm of height and a 3mm spine, this is a compact but well-proportioned nakiri - light enough at 150g 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 - no dishwasher. Sharpen on quality water stones when the edge needs attention and maintain with a ceramic rod or strop between full sharpenings.
At 161mm blade length with 50mm of height and a 3mm spine, this is a compact but well-proportioned nakiri - light enough at 150g 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 - no dishwasher. Sharpen on quality water stones when the edge needs attention and maintain with a ceramic rod or strop between full sharpenings.
- 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: 5.4 oz (150g)
- Blade Length: 161mm
- Total Length: 301mm
- Spine Thickness at Heel: 3mm
- Blade Height: 50mm
