HAP40 is a powdered high speed steel and one of the hardest alloys used anywhere in kitchen cutlery. That hardness lets it be ground thinner than most other steels while still holding an edge for an unusually long time, which is exactly why Sukenari reaches for it on knives meant for serious daily use.
This kiritsuke brings that steel to one of the more striking blade shapes in the Japanese kitchen lineup, combining the reach of a gyuto with the pointed, angled tip more often seen on a yanagiba. The semi stainless HAP40 core is clad in a softer stainless steel, finished with a fine hairline polish brought up to a medium shine, and set into a magnolia wood octagonal handle with a black buffalo horn ferrule. Sukenaris blacksmiths, working out of their shop in Toyama Prefecture, are known for using the finest materials and the most demanding techniques in the business, and this knife shows exactly why we are such fans of their work.
Care Instructions: HAP40 is semi stainless, so it does not demand the same babying as a true carbon steel, but its hardness means it can chip if it meets something it should not. Stick to wood or rubber cutting boards and keep it away from bones and frozen foods. Hand wash and dry the blade rather than letting it sit, and give it a few passes on a strop between sharpenings to keep the edge in top shape.
This kiritsuke brings that steel to one of the more striking blade shapes in the Japanese kitchen lineup, combining the reach of a gyuto with the pointed, angled tip more often seen on a yanagiba. The semi stainless HAP40 core is clad in a softer stainless steel, finished with a fine hairline polish brought up to a medium shine, and set into a magnolia wood octagonal handle with a black buffalo horn ferrule. Sukenaris blacksmiths, working out of their shop in Toyama Prefecture, are known for using the finest materials and the most demanding techniques in the business, and this knife shows exactly why we are such fans of their work.
Care Instructions: HAP40 is semi stainless, so it does not demand the same babying as a true carbon steel, but its hardness means it can chip if it meets something it should not. Stick to wood or rubber cutting boards and keep it away from bones and frozen foods. Hand wash and dry the blade rather than letting it sit, and give it a few passes on a strop between sharpenings to keep the edge in top shape.
- Maker: Sukenari
- Blacksmith: Hanaki-san, Second Generation
- Location: Toyama Prefecture, Japan
- Edge Steel: HAP40 (Semi Stainless Powdered Steel)
- Cladding: Stainless
- HRC: 68
- Finish: Hairline
- Edge Grind: Even
- Knife Style: Kiritsuke
- Handle: Magnolia Wood Octagonal
- Ferrule: Buffalo Horn
- Weight: 6.6 oz (188 g)
- Blade Length: 232 mm
- Total Length: 390 mm
- Spine Thickness at Heel: 2 mm
- Blade Height: 51 mm
