Tsunehisa Nakiri Kuro-uchi 165mm (6.5″) [Rosewood]

Tsunehisa Nakiri Kuro-uchi Rosewood 165mm is a great multi-purpose knife with a black Kuro-uchi protective patina and hammer dents. Nakiri is a double bevel version of the traditional Japanese knife Usuba (which are traditionally single bevel). These knives are made for one task only – cutting vegetables. The Kuro-uchi (black) patina on the upper part of the knife gives it a unique and rustic appearance. 

BLADE SHAPE:
The Nakiri shape was designed for cutting vegetables and is perfect for either long or short cuts, while the thin tip allows for precise work. Nakiri aka Nakiri Bocho is a traditional Japanese knife with a square, thin blade and a deep, flat belly. 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.

STEEL:
The centerpiece of this knife is Hitachi’s Super Blue Steel (Aogami Super), which is the very top quality of traditional Japanese steels. This knife was heat-treated to around 63 HRC. It is a very hard steel, meaning that it will retain a super-fine sharpness for a long time. In addition, due to the high carbon content (1.4-1.5%), the knife is very easy to sharpen. Among the high carbon steels, Aogami Super is also the least sensitive to rust. It also contains 0.4% vanadium as an admixture for micronized metal grains, which gives the steel more toughness. Aogami Super is rated as the most advanced carbon steel. The outer layers are of softer, stainless steel, giving the knife extra rust protection.

BLADE FINISH:
Kuro-uchi finish, the unprocessed (black) part on the top side of the blade has already developed a dark patina, which protects the blade and gives it a unique and rustic appearance. The blade was treated with hammer blows, resulting in a textured tsuchime look, which gives it a beautiful finish and also prevents food from sticking to the blade.

HANDLE:
The handle (traditional Japanese Wa) is oval and smooth, with no discernible transition between the rosewood handle and maple wood ferrule. It’s suitable for both left- and right-handed users.

BLACKSMITH:
Tsunehisa knives are a brand that combines a variety of high-quality knives from various knife centers of Japan such as Tosa, Seki, and Sakai. Their philosophy is that each region has its own steel and different manufacturing processes. For example, Tosa is best known for its Ginsanko and Aus-8 steels, Seki is famous for making excellent blades from the V-Gold group of steels, and Sakai for its single beveled Honyaki knives.