Yoshimitsu Fugen White #1 Tall Nakiri 185mm

The five brothers who originally ran Yoshimitsu Hamono were well known for their skill in working Tamahagane steel - the most traditional method of Japanese steelmaking, self-smelted in a tatara furnace from sand iron collected from a river. As one of their main distributors, CKTG asked if they could produce an affordable, introductory line for customers stepping into Japanese kitchen knives for the first time, and the Fugen brand is the result.

White #1 was chosen as the core steel for its ability to take an amazingly sharp edge and hold it well - a cost worth paying since White #1 is genuinely one of the hardest steels to forge, though these master smiths handle it with relative ease after years of experience. The soft iron cladding is left with its carbon face in a rustic kurouchi finish, which also helps reduce manufacturing cost. The blade is a cross between a nakiri and a cleaver: it carries the thin grind and squared profile of a classic vegetable cutter, paired with a tall blade height reminiscent of a Chinese cleaver. In terms of grind and profile, it leans nakiri; in presence, it leans cleaver.

What Customers Are Saying: One reviewer praises the excellent feel in hand while chopping, citing perfect weight and balance. Another simply calls it awesome. A third, already owning the Fugen bunka and short gyuto, calls this tall nakiri a no-brainer addition - fairly sharp out of the box despite a basic handle and plastic ferrule on that earlier production run, requiring only minimal stone work, and genuinely enjoyable to push-cut through vegetables thanks to the extra length and weight most nakiris lack. The line has since moved to a one-piece oak octagonal handle with no ferrule. A fourth reviewer needed about an hour of work to flatten the blade road grind, after which it performed beautifully on every vegetable he tried, also praising the heat treatment.

Care Instructions: White #1 is a highly reactive carbon steel and will patina quickly with use. Wipe and dry the blade immediately after every use. Hand wash only. Apply camellia oil for long-term storage.

• Knife Brand: Yoshimitsu Fugen
• Blacksmith: Yoshida San
• Location: Shimabara, Japan
• Construction: Hammer Forged, San Mai
• Cladding: Soft Iron
• Finish: Kurouchi
• Edge Steel: White #1
• HRC: 61
• Edge Grind: Even
• Knife Type: Tall Nakiri (Small Cleaver)
• Weight: 7.3 oz (208 g)
• Blade Length: 189 mm
• Total Length: 323 mm
• Spine Thickness at Base: 3.5 mm
• Blade Height: 76 mm
• Handle: Oak Octagonal, One-Piece, Urushi Finish