Nigara "Anmon" Ginsan (Silver #3) Kurosome Damascus Yanagiba

The extraordinary quality of the artisan hand-forged Kurosome Damascus finish on this "Anmon" Yanagiba is simply the best we have ever seen, period. The 7th generation owner of Nigara Hamono, an art-enthusiast himself, designed this unique pattern in 2008 after being inspired by Andy Warhol's artwork as well as the Anmon Waterfalls adjacent to the city of Hirosaki, where Nigara was founded 350 years ago. The fit and finish of this knife are simply second to none - from fluidly polished choil to the amazingly unique and ultimately refined Damascus steel that wraps around the spine, not to mention beautiful grind and smooth tapering. With Ginsan (Silver #3) steel, you get similar hardness and some of the characteristics of Shirogami #2, but with stainless / rust resistance properties, making this knife much easier to maintain. The level of polishing has gone up even further in the last few years, and these "Anmon" knives have to be seen to be truly appreciated. You'll be mesmerized.

Spec:

• Origin (Made in): Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture, Japan
• Brand: Nigara Hamono
• Craftsman: Tsuyoshi Yoshizawa (吉澤 剛)
• Knife Type: Yanagiba
• Blade
• Construction: Awase (Kasumi)
• Grind: Single Bevel (Right-handed)
  
• Hagane (Core Steel): Ginsan (Silver #3)
• Jigane (Cladding): Stainless Steel
• Hardness: 62 HRC
• Hand-forged, hand-grinded, hand-sharpened
• Blade Finishes:
• Damascus ("Anmon" Pattern)
• Kurosome (Black Etched)
• Blade Length: 240mm (9.4") / 270mm (10.6") / 300mm (11.8") / 330mm (13") / 360mm (14.2")
• Blade Height (at heel): 35mm / 39mm / 39mm  / 43mm / 43mm
• Spine Thickness
• Above heel: 3.9mm / 4.1mm / 4.4mm  / 4.7mm / 5.2mm
• Middle: 3.6mm / 3.9mm / 4.3mm  / 4.4mm / 4.4mm
• Handle
• Shape: Hachikaku (Octagonal)
• Material: Ebony
• Kuchiwa  / Tsukajiri: Buffalo Horn
• Ginmaki: Nickel Copper (x3)
• Length: 145mm / 145mm /  145mm / 153mm / 160mm
• Overall Length: 388mm / 422mm / 452mm /  489mm / 530mm
• Weight: 236g (8.32oz) / 279g (9.84oz)  / 325g (11.46oz)   / 351g (12.38oz) / 374g (13.19oz)
• Engraved Mark: In Japanese Kanji "Nigara Made" (二唐作)

About Nigara Hamono 二唐刃物

With 350 years of history, starting from making swords for Tsugaru clan in the early Edo period, Nigara Hamono has passed down knowhow and skills for eight generations. Its 5th generation blacksmith Kunitoshi Nigara was a legendary sword maker, earning a long list of accolades, honorary titles and knighthood. The current (8th) generation blacksmith — Tsuyoshi Yoshizawa is supported by his father Toshiju Yoshizawa who has keen interests in art and music. Nigara’s famous Anmon design is the result of Toshiju’s love for Andy Warhol’s artworks. The family business’ expansion into construction steelworks has given Nigara unmatched access to in-house knowhow when it comes to advanced finishing. All these set Nigara apart as one of the most special knife makers in Japan.

Care:

Ginsan (Gin3 or Silver #3) is a stainless carbon steel, with 14% added Chromium. Retaining the character of Japanese carbon steel, with similar hardness of Shirogami #2, Ginsan is stainless. It's edge retention is only slightly inferior to Shirogami #2, but the fact that it combines ease of sharpening, carbon steel character as well being stainless makes it a great choice for those who wish to have a Japanese carbon steel knife that is easy to maintain.

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.