SG2 powdered stainless steel and hand-forged Anmon Damascus cladding is a combination that is difficult to find outside of Japan - the patience required to fold 25 layers of Damascus around a high-performance powdered steel core, then hand-finish each knife so the raindrop pattern emerges cleanly, is not something production methods accommodate. Nigara Hamono has been doing this kind of work in Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture, since the early Edo period, when the city was a castle town with over one hundred active forging shops. They are one of those original shops. The Anmon pattern is named after the Anmon Waterfalls at the foot of the nearby World Heritage Shirakami Mountains - the same rippling quality the cascades produce in the rock below them is what appears in these blades above the SG2 edge.
The santoku (three virtues) at 168mm and 50mm blade height is the most versatile format in the Nigara Damascus lineup - compact enough to stay nimble for daily prep work, wide enough for knuckle clearance and bench-scraping, and with the gentle belly that makes it effective across the full range of cutting motions from push cuts to rocking. At 148g and a 2mm spine, the knife is light for its height - the SG2 construction and san-mai build keeping the weight down without reducing the visual presence of the blade. The wenge octagonal handle and black buffalo horn ferrule are fitted to the same standard the blade sets. Each knife is made by hand so measurements may vary.
Care Instructions: SG2 is stainless and resistant to rust, but hard and somewhat chip-prone at this HRC. Use wood or rubber cutting boards only. Avoid bones, frozen foods, and hard materials. Hand wash and dry after use - no dishwasher. Strop regularly and use quality water stones for full sharpenings.
The santoku (three virtues) at 168mm and 50mm blade height is the most versatile format in the Nigara Damascus lineup - compact enough to stay nimble for daily prep work, wide enough for knuckle clearance and bench-scraping, and with the gentle belly that makes it effective across the full range of cutting motions from push cuts to rocking. At 148g and a 2mm spine, the knife is light for its height - the SG2 construction and san-mai build keeping the weight down without reducing the visual presence of the blade. The wenge octagonal handle and black buffalo horn ferrule are fitted to the same standard the blade sets. Each knife is made by hand so measurements may vary.
Care Instructions: SG2 is stainless and resistant to rust, but hard and somewhat chip-prone at this HRC. Use wood or rubber cutting boards only. Avoid bones, frozen foods, and hard materials. Hand wash and dry after use - no dishwasher. Strop regularly and use quality water stones for full sharpenings.
- Maker: Nigara Hamono
- Location: Hirosaki, Aomori, Japan
- Construction: Hammer Forged, San Mai
- Edge Steel: SG2 Stainless Steel
- Cladding: 25-Layer Stainless Damascus (Anmon - Raindrop)
- HRC: 62+
- Edge Grind: Double Bevel, Even
- Handle: Wenge Octagonal
- Ferrule: Black Buffalo Horn
- Weight: 5.2 oz (148g)
- Blade Length: 168mm
- Total Length: 310mm
- Spine Thickness at Heel: 2mm
- Blade Height: 50mm
