Tsunehisa Usuba 165mm (6.5″)

Usuba is a single beveled blade (right-handed users only!) designed for chopping vegetables. It is one of the “holy trinity” of Japanese classic kitchen knives for sushi preparation. The length of the blade is 165mm (6.5″).

The knife has a minimalistic polished blade and is fitted with a traditional Japanese (Wa) handle made of Rosewood with a black pakka wood ferrule.

Where the blade meets the handle, you may notice a special feature called Machi spacing. This is a small gap between the lower part of the blade and the handle, which can be seen mostly in single bevel knives. It is a feature that pays tribute to Japanese swords and is typical mostly in the work of blacksmiths located in and around the Tokyo area. So don’t worry, it is not a flaw in assembly of the blade and the handle, but rather a homage to Japanese forging tradition that could be displayed on a magnet right there on your kitchen wall.

The rectangular blade consists of 2 layers of steel – the harder steel AUS-8 (60 HRC) and a layer of softer stainless steel are forge welded together in what is known as “nimai” construction. AUS-8 steel is a popular Japanese steel from the Aichi steelworks that is incredibly resistant to rust, yet simple to sharpen. The steel contains high amounts of carbon (0.7-0.75%) and is also high in vanadium (0.10-0.26%) and molybdenum (0.10-0.30%). It also has a high percentage of chromium (14.5%), making the blade corrosion-resistant and increasing the hardness, durability and the tensile strength of steel mix. 

This carefully balanced composition does not only endow the blade with exceptional hardness (60 HRC) but also good wear and tear and rust-resistance properties. 

AUS-8 characteristics: → Long lasting sharpness: 60 HRC hardness and high carbon content make the blade razor-sharp and help it retain its edge for a very long time. → Rust-resistance: due to high chrome content (14%), the steel is very resistant to corrosion. Even so, you should not skip any of the steps of blade maintenance: wiping it with a dry cloth after use and storing it correctly in a dry and safe place are important steps for prolonging the service life of your knives. → Wear and tear resistance: the composition of this steel mix also makes the blade very resistant to wear and tear.

Due to the choice of materials and precise final treatment of the blade by hand, the blade is simple to maintain, retains its edge for a very long time and is perfect for sharpening on water stones. These are essential characteristics of a traditional Japanese single bevel knife, such as Usuba. 

Suitable for first-time buyers of a Japanese kitchen knife. It can also serve as a wonderful gift!

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.