Muneishi Nakiri Ao Damascus 165mm (6.5″)

Muneishi Nakiri Aogami #2 Damascus 165mm is a Japanese kitchen knife designed with one purpose in mind: to make vegetable prep a breeze. The blade’s dark kuro-uchi and damascus finish combination contrasts beautifully with the reddish cherry handle.

The blade will glide through food with ease and deliver incredibly smooth cuts, thanks to Aogami #2 steel’s extremely fine sharpness. This knife feels and cuts like a true Japanese blade, and definitely looks the part as well.

BLADE SHAPE:
The nakiri aka nakiri bōchō shape is a traditional Japanese knife with a square, thin blade and a deep, flat belly designed specifically for cutting vegetables. Since the entire flat edge of the knife touches the cutting board at once, in one clean, vertical movement, there is no need for a horizontal pull or push. This also means that you won’t be turning the vegetable into an “accordion” of pieces still clinging together by a thread.

STEEL:
Aogami #2 is a very popular steel in Japanese knifemaking and one of the finest high-carbon steels, meaning the knives forged from it will have excellent edge retention and also sharpen very easily. At the same time, it is less resistant to corrosion, meaning the blade can develop a patina, while longer exposure to water or other corrosives could also lead to rusting. This is improved to some extent with the addition of chromium and tungsten, but it’s still a high-carbon steel that should be maintained accordingly (⚠️ read more about knife maintenance here). Aogami #2 steel is composed of carbon (C) 1.1 %, chromium (Cr) 0.5 %, manganese (Mn) 0.3%, and tungsten (W) 1.5%.

Learn more about knife maintenance here.

LAMINATION:
High-carbon steel is hard, but brittle for this same reason. This makes the blades more prone to breakage and chipping. To prevent that, blacksmiths “sandwich” the blade’s core, made from Aogami #2 steel, between two layers of softer steel. This improves the blade’s flexibility and toughness.

GEOMETRY:
It has a double bevel (symmetrical) blade.

BLADE FINISH:
Kuro-uchi (kuro meaning “black”) finish and a damascus finish create a rustic appearance.

HANDLE:
Traditional oval Japanese (Wa) style handle made out of cherry wood with a red pakka ferrule.

ABOUT THE BLACKSMITH:
Muneishi smithy was founded in 1955. Hirotaka Muneishi, the second-generation knife smith, is renowned for manufacturing forestry knives such as axes and machetes for the local woodsmen. Kosuke Muneishi, the third-generation blacksmith and now the head of the company, has since branched out to making kitchen knives. He mostly uses Aogami Super steel and performs all the steps himself: tempering, forging, hammering and sharpening knives. His knives have very nice grinds, good profile, and are very affordable.