Etsu Village Hammered Nakiri Wide 165mm (6.5″)

Blacksmith Masutani is known as an incredibly good knife sharpener, and his knives are no different. With their very thin spine (around 1.8mm) these knives will slide through food with ease. This Nakiri, from the master sharpener and blacksmith Masutani, is no different. Suitable for everyone who chops a lot of vegetables, either at home, cooking school, or at work.

☝️Extra trivia: Etsu village refers to the “village” of four Japanese cities, Fukui, Ishikawa, Toyama and Niigata, known for their knife making history. In Japanese, Etsu also means happiness, or better, self-satisfaction.

BLADE SHAPE:
Nakiri – Japanese knife made to serve one purpose – cutting veggies! This nakiri has a thin and wide (52mm) blade, so it will easily slice through all kinds of vegetables.

STEEL:
The core of this Nakiri is made of VG-1 stainless steel, a younger cousin of more wide-spread VG-10 steel. VG-1 steel is clad into a softer layer of stainless steel, where visible traces of hammer are left to give it a unique look. Compared to VG-10, VG-1 is slightly tougher steel, but with a bit less wear resistance. Due to a very thin grind, VG-1 steel is exposed at the very bottom of the blade (the curvy, Hamon-like line). This knife was forged to a hardness of around 60 HRC, which offers satisfying edge retention and is easy to resharpen.

LAMINATION:
The core layer consisting of VG-1 steel was sandwiched between 5 layers of softer, steel. This technique is called san-mai and is used to protect the hard (but delicate) core from outside factors and physical impacts, which could lead to breakage.

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

BLADE FINISH:
The knife bears visible impressions of the hand-forging process (round hammer dents on the blade), which gives it a beautiful finish and also prevents food from sticking to the blade. This blade finish is also called tsuchime. Air bubbles form in the dimples and help prevent food from sticking to the blade. Because there is less surface that is in contact with food, there is also less friction and, consequently, less force is needed for cutting.

HANDLE:
This Nakiri was fitted a yo-style, Western-type handle made of mahogany wood, and features a stainless bolster. The knife tang ends halfway through the handle, further reducing the weight of the knife and pushing the balance more towards the tip of the blade, like with Wa-style, traditional Japanese handles. The handle will fit well in your hands for both the hammer and pinch grip.

ABOUT THE BLACKSMITH:
Etsu village refers to the “village” of four Japanese cities, Fukui, Ishikawa, Toyama and Niigata, known for their knife making history. A rough translation of “Etsu” in Japanese means happy, or better, self-satisfaction. Overall, knives from Mr. Masutani offer a stunning price-performance ratio. They are a great choice for passionate home cooks who are starting to explore the beautiful world of Japanese knives. These knives will fit well into the hands of student chefs, and will also make a great gift—just don’t forget to attach a coin along with the knife.