This santoku stands out as one of the more visually captivating knives in the Nigara catalog. The roots of the company trace to the early Edo period, when Hirosaki was a castle town flourishing with over one hundred forging workshops. Nigara Forging was one of those historical gems, a beacon of the Tsugaru blacksmith tradition that the company continues to honor today.
This santoku is built around a VG10 stainless steel core hardened to roughly 60 HRC, delivering the edge retention and easy sharpening VG10 is known for throughout Japanese cutlery. The stainless cladding carries a tsuchime, or hammered, finish with real visual depth. With a blade length of just over 170mm, this santoku brings genuine versatility to slicing, chopping, and dicing tasks. The ebony octagonal handle completes a knife that is as much a statement piece as it is a daily-use tool.
Care Instructions: VG10 is a fully stainless steel - low maintenance and resistant to corrosion. Hand wash and dry after each use. Avoid the dishwasher. Sharpen on quality water stones as needed.Maker: Nigara
Location: Aomori Prefecture, Japan
Construction: Hammer Forged, San Mai
Cladding: Stainless Tsuchime Damascus
Edge Steel: VG-10 Stainless Steel
HRC: 60
Handle: Ebony Octagonal
Weight: 5.7 oz (162 g)
Blade Length: 172 mm
Total Length: 310 mm
Spine Thickness at Base: 2 mm
Blade Height: 49 mm
This santoku is built around a VG10 stainless steel core hardened to roughly 60 HRC, delivering the edge retention and easy sharpening VG10 is known for throughout Japanese cutlery. The stainless cladding carries a tsuchime, or hammered, finish with real visual depth. With a blade length of just over 170mm, this santoku brings genuine versatility to slicing, chopping, and dicing tasks. The ebony octagonal handle completes a knife that is as much a statement piece as it is a daily-use tool.
Care Instructions: VG10 is a fully stainless steel - low maintenance and resistant to corrosion. Hand wash and dry after each use. Avoid the dishwasher. Sharpen on quality water stones as needed.
