Hinokuni Shirokuro Chuka Shirogami #1 180mm (7.1″)

The Hinokuni Shirokuro Chuka 180 mm is a knife that certainly stands out from our range: a hybrid between a Chinese cleaver and a Japanese nakiri, a knife whose main purpose is chopping vegetables.

The Hinokuni collection is hand-forged from Shirogami #1 steel laminated in soft iron, so sharpening will be nothing but pure pleasure. Yukihiro-san laminates the knives himself in his smithy. Working with raw materials is rather challenging and difficult, but the blacksmith insists on this because he believes that lamination is crucial for the quality of the final product. The result of such a long and hard process are sturdy and heavy knives that are real workhorses!

❗️ Because they are forged by hand and in small quantities, they take a while to arrive, so here’s some good advice: if one of the knives from the Hinokuni series is on your wish list, get it while it’s still available.

🌋 Hinokuni means “the land of fire”, a nickname for Kumamoto Prefecture, home to the famous volcano Mt. Aso.

BLADE SHAPE:
The Shirokuro Chuka will quickly become your go-to knife for preparing vegetables! The main purpose of this knife is chopping veggies, but experienced chefs will use it as a multipurpose knife.

In Chinese kitchens, most of the work is usually done with a single knife, namely the large Chinese cleaver. The large cleaver shape is great for chopping and easy food transfer, with an added heft that allows the user to hack through harder produce (🚨 but not through bones and joints!). Thanks to its long and thin cutting edge, the Chinese cleaver also has no problem with longer cuts and finer techniques such as chopping garlic, dicing or julienne.

STEEL:
Yukihiro San uses only Shirogami #1 for his kitchen knives, which is very reactive and delicate, but unparalleled in its sharpness.

Shirogami #1 is one of the purest steels, and consequently one of the easiest to sharpen. Its characteristics make Shirogami popular with traditional Japanese blacksmiths and sushi masters. The advantage of Shirogami #1 is that it has a very fine, delicate sharpness, is easy to grind and stays sharp for a very long time. It will require a little more attention in maintenance. The blade will acquire a protective patina with use.

KNIFE CARE:
The steel will gradually acquire a patina, which only endows this knife with more charm. Do not wash this knife in a dishwasher, but rather wash it by hand and wipe it with a dry cloth. The advantage of having a blade made of high carbon steel is the fine sharpness, ease of sharpening, and long edge retention. We recommend the occasional coat of knife maintenance oil to protect the blade from external influences. 

→ Read more about patina on our blog.

LAMINATION:
The blade was laminated with soft iron, which is iron with only a small amount of carbon added to it. Laminating the blade improves its structural integrity, as the knife’s core is made of hard—and therefore brittle—high-carbon Shirogami #1 steel that is prone to breakage on its own.

⚠️ Due to its purity and lack of any added elements such as chromium (Cr), soft iron doesn’t resist corrosion well. Therefore, the upper laminated part can also develop rust when not taken care of properly.

→ Yukihiro-san laminates the knives himself in his smithy because he sees this as a crucial step in the processing of the blade. The process of laminating different metals is very complex, and most smithies use pre-laminated materials.
Only a few blacksmiths make their own knives completely in every step of the process from raw material to finished product, and Yukihiro-san is one of them. 

GEOMETRY:
It has a double bevel (40/60) blade with a concave V-edge profile (hollow grind). The profile allows the knife to remain extremely thin despite frequent sharpening.
This Chuka is slightly heavier (275g), as the blade at the handle is thicker (3mm) and then gradually tapers towards the tip. Viewed from the back of the blade, the knife is heavier and stronger at the handle and thinner and more precise at the tip. This blade shape makes the knife easier to use because the blade is very responsive, easily maneuverable and nicely balanced. This type of blade design is also called distal taper – you can read more about it in the article on blade geometry.  

BLADE FINISH:
The blade sports a beautiful black Kuro-uchi finish. 

Blade finish is excellent, but because the knife is completely handmade, be prepared to see some small imperfections on the surface.

HANDLE:
The Japanese Wa handle is oval and made in cherry wood with a plastic ferrule. It fits perfectly in the left and right hand. 

BLACKSMITH:
Yukihiro Sakai is a young blacksmith from Kumamoto (Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyushu). He trained with Nishida-san [Nishida Hamono]. Yukihiro-San’s recent work is focused on Shirogami #1 with a kuro-uchi finish and evenly ground and flat profiles. His knives are affordable but of superior quality. We anticipate that over the years, the prices of his products will rise due to the superb craftsmanship and his growing popularity.