Nigara Hamono makes some of the most visually striking kitchen knives we carry. The company traces its roots to Hirosaki, a castle town during the early Edo period that once held over one hundred forging shops in the surrounding area. Nigara Forging is one of those historical Tsugaru blacksmith shops, and the company has kept traditional forging techniques alive for centuries.
This kiritsuke is built around SG2, a powdered stainless steel hardened to roughly 62 HRC, prized for exceptional edge retention and a fine grain structure that takes a genuinely keen edge. The stainless cladding carries a tsuchime, or hammered, finish that gives the blade real visual texture and depth. The wenge wood octagonal handle with buffalo horn ferrule rounds out a knife that is, in every sense, a stunner.
Care Instructions: SG2 is a stainless steel but is hard and somewhat chip-prone at this hardness level. Use wood or rubber cutting boards only. Avoid bones, frozen foods, and hard materials. Hand wash and dry after use. Strop regularly between sharpenings and use quality water stones for a full sharpening.
This kiritsuke is built around SG2, a powdered stainless steel hardened to roughly 62 HRC, prized for exceptional edge retention and a fine grain structure that takes a genuinely keen edge. The stainless cladding carries a tsuchime, or hammered, finish that gives the blade real visual texture and depth. The wenge wood octagonal handle with buffalo horn ferrule rounds out a knife that is, in every sense, a stunner.
Care Instructions: SG2 is a stainless steel but is hard and somewhat chip-prone at this hardness level. Use wood or rubber cutting boards only. Avoid bones, frozen foods, and hard materials. Hand wash and dry after use. Strop regularly between sharpenings and use quality water stones for a full sharpening.
- Maker: Nigara
- Blacksmith: Yoshizawa San
- Location: Aomori Prefecture, Japan
- Construction: Hammer Forged, San Mai
- Edge Steel: SG2 Stainless Steel
- HRC: 62-63
- Cladding: Stainless Tsuchime
- Handle: Wenge Octagonal
- Ferrule: Buffalo Horn
- Weight: 5.7 oz (164 g)
- Blade Length: 195 mm
- Total Length: 344 mm
- Spine Thickness at Base: 2 mm
- Blade Height: 49 mm
