"AS Santoku 180 Tsuchime, Kadzuno-gara"
Nigara Hamono - Since the days of the samurai
The sword and knife smithy Nigara Hamono has a tradition of over 350 years. During the early Edo period, the city of Hirosaki was a castle town. There were over a hundred forges in the area at that time. Nigara Forging is one such historic forge located in Tsugaru, north of Hirosaki, which has preserved and maintained its craftsmanship to this day. The forging techniques used by Nigara are essentially the same as the traditional forging techniques that have been used for centuries to make high-quality sword and knife blades. The folding and hammering of soft iron and steel creates a distinctive beauty in every knife Nigara produces.
Knife Series AS Tsuchime by Nigara
This series of knives is already by your origin, the forge Nigara, something very special. Visually, it is characterized by the bright finishing of the upper part of the blade and the distinctive hand-beaten hammering. However, you will only experience the full character of the knives when you use them in your kitchen. The knives have a very good, balanced weight distribution, are thinly forged and very sharp. The hard steel of the cutting core, forged to about 62 HRC, offers excellent sharpening potential. The cutting core is made of Aogami Super, the blue paper steel. The steel is a genuine Japanese carbon steel and can be forged very hard. It features the finest martensite - metastable microstructure - which provides higher hardness and excellent sharpness. Another advantage is that Aogami super can be easily sharpened despite high hardness and shows very good stability due to the high percentage of tungsten. So with this cutting core, the knives in this series offer exceptional sharpness, cutting performance and durability.
Usage and Safety Instructions
Japanese kitchen knives are made from extremely hard steels and are forged and sharpened thinner than their European counterparts. Some of these knives have very finely ground cutting layers, making them more delicate and suitable only for soft materials. Please refer to the product details for related information. Knives with a very thin edge and hollow grind are particularly prone to chipping. While they are excellent for fine cuts of soft materials, they should be used with appropriate caution. When sharpening on a whetstone, an angled edge is usually formed, which makes the blade more stable over time.
Chipping of the edge can also occur due to leverage forces or when cutting frozen foods, which can significantly lower the steel's temperature. Leverage forces often arise when cutting materials with bones, for example. Check your knife's edge after each use. If chipping does occur, thoroughly check if you have removed all fragments from the food. If necessary, it may be safer to discard the food. Chips in the edge may need to be ground out by a professional.
The knife should generally be used with a pulling or pushing motion, without applying much pressure. To maintain sharpness, avoid cutting on stone, glass, or other hard surfaces. Do not use a honing steel for sharpening. Waterstones are recommended (grit: 400-1200 for rough sharpening, 3000 for fine sharpening, 6000 or more to polish the edge) and possibly a leather strop.
Keep the knife out of reach of children. These knives are extremely sharp, so please handle them with care.
All products are unique, so slight variations from the sample image are possible.
Care Instructions
For knives made from delicate steel types, such as Aogami, Shirogami, or V-Toku, please clean them occasionally with a cloth and water, even during extended use. Acidic foods may still cause discoloration in these traditional carbon steels. After use, wash by hand with hot water and, if necessary, use a neutral detergent. Never put the knife in the dishwasher. After cleaning, dry thoroughly, oil if necessary, and store in a well-ventilated place. Residual moisture can cause rust in non-stainless steels. Please refer to our ORYOKI Japan blog for product care tips.
Clean the knife by hand and do not use a dishwasher. Dry it thoroughly after cleaning.
