Tojiro Nakiri Shirogami Kuro-uchi 165mm (6.5″)

TOJIRO Nakiri Shirogami Kuro-uchi 165mm (6.5″) is a traditional Japanese kitchen knife with a kuro-uchi blade finish and a hand-forged kanji. Nakiri blade shape is a traditional Japanese knife shape, designed for the task of cutting vegetables. A knife that will be appreciated in the hands of a prep cook with mountains of veggies to prepare every day! Recently, many nakiris find their way into home kitchens – it’s a perfect knife for vegetarians and veggie lovers. 

The knife is forged from Shirogami steel (white steel) and features a rustic kuro-uchi finish with a hand-forged kanji. The blade has a hardness of 61-62 HRC and, due to its low chromium content, acquires a patina over the course of use.

BLADE SHAPE:
Nakiri 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. This also means that you won’t be turning the vegetable into an “accordion” of pieces still clinging together by a thread. Due to its characteristics, it’s mostly intended to be used for chopping veg, but you can still use it as a good all-rounder in the kitchen.

STEEL:
The knife’s core is Shirogami #2 steel, surrounded by two layers of stainless steel that also hugs the spine of the blade. The knife is hardened to 62-63 HRC.

🚩 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 by clicking this link.

LAMINATION:
The excellent Shirogami steel is clad into 2 layers of softer steel. The outer two layers of softer stainless steel form a “shinogi” line along the entire edge of the blade. Shinogi line represents the border between the harder, inner steel and the outer two layers of softer steel. The lamination is called san-mai cladding.

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

BLADE FINISH:
The knife was left an unprocessed black patina on top of the blade, called kuro-uchi, which gives it a raw, unfinished look.

HANDLE:
The blade is attached to a traditional Japanese D-shaped handle, made of magnolia wood with a plastic ferrule. 

ABOUT THE BLACKSMITH:
TOJIRO is one of the top 5 largest Japanese kitchen knife manufacturers. They are renowned across Japan and internationally for their top-quality knives for a reasonable price. TOJIRO’s focus on advanced technologies, together with their insatiable dedication for constant improvements of their knives and materials, makes TOJIRO’s knives a must-have in any kitchen. TOJIRO’s main focus? Sharpness!

A big bonus is their great team which we are always very eager to meet and talk to! 😊