Kanemasa Shirogami #2 Nashiji 165mm Nakiri

This Kanemasa Shirogami #2 Nakiri by Kanetsune comes with a very tasteful Nashiji finish at an incredibly affordable price. While the finish is slightly rough around choil, and the handle is a slightly rough stock-handle, the rest of the blade has an excellent fit and finish for this price. More importantly the Shirogami #2 blade is beautifully grinded for excellent cutting smoothness. This knife is a great introduction to Nashiji finished Shirogami blades.

Spec:

• Origin (Made in): Seki, Gifu Prefecture, Japan
• Brand: Kanemasa (part of Kanetsune Seki)
• Model No.: KC-438
• Knife Type: Nakiri
• Blade
• Construction: San Mai
• Grind: Double-edged Blade (50/50 Grind)
• Hagane (Core Steel): Shirogami #2 (White #2)
• Jigane (Cladding): SUS410 Stainless Steel
• Hardness: 60-61 HRC
• Hand-forged, hand-grinded, hand-sharpened
• Blade Finishes: Nashiji
• Blade Length: 165mm (6.5")
• Blade Height (at heel): 52mm
• Spine Thickness
• Above heel: 3.5mm
• Middle: 1.9mm
• Handle
• Shape: Marugata (Oval-shaped)
• Material: Japanese Magnolia (Ho Wood)
• Length: 135mm
• Overall Length: 313mm
• Weight: 143g (5.04oz)
• Hand Chiseled Mark: In Japanese Kanji "Kanemasa Made" (兼正作)

Note: the softwood inside kuchiwa (ferrule) expands and crack when the nakago (tang) was inserted during installation. This is normal for this handle and not a defect. 

About Kanetsune Seki 関兼常 / Kitasho 北正

The owner of Kanetsune Seki brand — Kitasho — has been making knives in pre-war Japan, in Seki City (関市) which has over 800 years of blade-making history. After the war, they established the Kitamura Shoten, which led to the current Kitasho company. The Kanetsune (兼常) brand is named after a famous sword-smith who lived in the Muromachi period around 14-15 century. Making different series of knives under brands including Kanemasa (兼正作), Honsho Kanemasa (本匠兼正作), and Minamoto Kanemasa (源兼正), Kitasho Company is on the mission of passing down Seki’s 8 centuries long knife-making techniques and traditions.

Care:

Shirogami #2 (white #2) steel is one of the most popular types of high carbon steel found in Japanese kitchen knives (Wa Knives). It is not stainless, therefore you must wipe your knife dry after each use, in particular the core steel not covered by the stainless cladding. Patina will develop over time, which will appear as “discoloration” on the cutting edge, but that is the nature of carbon steel - not a defect. The stainless cladding covers a large part of the blade, making maintenance easier but still preserving the cutting and sharpening pleasure of the Shirogami core. Avoid cutting into bones, frozen foods, hard fruit pits.

Cutting Surface:

Recommended cutting surface: wood, rubberized boards and high-end composites, and quality plastics such as polyethene make acceptable cutting surfaces, and will help protect and prolong knife’s edge. AVOID glass, metal, countertops, and other rigid, non-forgiving surfaces.

Sharpening:

We recommend sharpening all quality Japanese knives on whetstones, as we believe they yield the best results for your knives.