The Muneyoshi White #2
Nakiri is made with the very popular Hitachi white paper #2 steel as the hagane (inner core), and a jigane (outer cladding) that is applied in an attractive and durable kurouchi finish. This gives the knife a distinctive look while aiding greatly in its excellent food release properties.
The head blacksmith of Muneyoshi is Mr. Suzuki, and he forms sickles and knives by doing hot-forging and cold-forging repeatedly to refine the steel grains. This operation increases the sharpness and toughness of the edge. Another unusual feature of this
nakiri is that it has a spine that looks like a backbone, which works to reinforce the blade and add rigidity to the knife.
These are single bevel blades that are ground flat on the back side. As such, they are only applicable to right-handed users. The upside of single bevel knives is their in-built acute cutting edge. Being single-sided means that the inclusive edge angle is about 15 degrees as opposed to a double edge where the angle is around 30 degrees. This enhances the cutting abilities, makes food release easier, and minimizes wedging, especially with hard vegetables.
The upgraded octagonal handle is made from oak wood with a burnt urushi finish. The blade is branded with kanji elements.
Brand: Muneyoshi
Blacksmith: Mr. Suzuki
Location: Yamagata, Japan
Construction: Hammer Forged, San Mai
Steel: White #2
Cladding: Soft Iron
Grind: Single Bevel (Right Handed), Flat Back
Weight: 4.9 oz (140 g)
Blade Length: 166 mm
Total Length: 305 mm
Spine Thickness at Base: 4.3 mm
Blade Height: 53.7 mm
New handle is like the photos, not the video