Kaishin "Thin Series" Aogami Super 165mm Santoku

This "thin series" wa-santoku is a "laser" knife, hand-forged, handcrafted and hand-sharpened by a team of traditional artisans and craftsmen, using Aogami Super core steel, heat-treated to 64 HRC for extraordinary edge retention. The grind is quite smooth, with good thinness behind-the-edge and quality sharpening matching the price range of this series. The polish is done to a higher standard than most other knives of this cost, so the knife is very enjoyable to use. More importantly, Kaishin's magnolia wood handle comes with a blonde/marble buffalo horn kuchiwa, something less seen in knives of this budget range. Overall this is a knife of superb value for money.

Premium Handle Option: For a premium look, go for Sugi Fuki-urushi handle which is made by experienced Japanese urushi artisans with the finest sugi wood of Japan. Paired with the best blonde buffalo horn, this handle takes many hours to make by hand with the skilled labor of repeatedly applying lacquer with a cotton cloth to showcase the beautiful grains of Sugi wood. It is supplied in very limited quantity. 

Spec:

• Origin (Made in): Sanmu, Chiba Prefecture, Japan
• Brand: Kaishin
• Knife Type: Santoku
• Blade
• Construction: San Mai
• Grind: Double-edged Blade (50/50 Grind)
• Hagane (Core Steel): Aogami Super (Blue Super)
• Jigane (Cladding): Stainless Steel
• Hardness: 64 HRC
• Hand-forged, hand-grinded, hand-sharpened
• Blade Length: 165mm (6.5")
• Blade Height (at heel): 47mm
• Spine Thickness
• Above heel: 2.5mm
• Middle: 2.3mm
• Handle
• Shape: Hachikaku (Octagonal)
• Material: Japanese Magnolia (Ho Wood) / Sugi with Wiped Urushi
  
• Kuchiwa: Blond Buffalo Horn
• Length: 130mm
• Overall Length: 311mm
• Weight:
• With Magnolia Handle: 130g (4.59oz)
• With Sugi Handle: 138g (4.87oz)
• Hand chiselled mark (Front): In Japanese Kanji "Kaishin" (魁心)
• Engraved mark (Back): In Japanese Kanji "Aogami Super" (青紙スーパー)

About Kaishin 魁心 / Nakamura Hamono Kogei 中村刃物工芸

Nakamura Hamono Kogei is a young company founded in 2015 as a teamworking workshop for emerging traditional Japanese blacksmiths. Teaming up a number of traditional craftsmen and seasoned sharpeners, Nakamura Hamono Kogei has created its original brand “Kaishin” (魁心) to showcase what can be achieved when like-minded blacksmiths work together to perfect their crafts.

Care:

Aogami Super (Blue Super) steel is considered the most superior Japanese high carbon steel for knife making. 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 Aogami Super 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.