Tsukasa Hinoura Tamame Kitaeji 165mm Santoku with Ebony Ginmaki Handle

This beautiful Santoku with Shirogami #2 steel core is handcrafted by Tsukasa Hinoura - the third generation of Hinoura. The stainless steel cladding features a mesmerizing Damascus finish that looks like bullet mark patterns. The grinding and finish is superior, with a choil that’s smoothly polished. The blade is paired with a premium octagonal handle that’s made of Ebony wood, decorated with a black buffalo horn kuchiwa and a nickel silver ginmaki. Comes in a wooden box.

Spec:

• Origin (Made in): Sanjo, Niigata Perfecture, Japan
• Craftsman: Mr. Tsukasa Hinoura
• Brand: Hinoura Hamono
• Knife Type: Santoku
• Blade
• Construction: San Mai
• Grind: Double-edged Blade (50/50 Grind)
• Hagane (Core Steel): Shirogami #2 (White #2)
• Jigane (Cladding): Stainless Steel
• Hardness: 62 HRC
• Hand-forged, hand-grinded, hand-sharpened
• Blade Finishes:
• Tamame (Bullet Mark) Pattern in Kitaeji (Damascus)
• Kurouchi
• Blade Length: 165mm (6.5")
• Blade Height (at heel): 50mm
• Spine Thickness
• Above heel: 4.2mm
• Middle: 2.7mm
• Handle
• Premium Custom Handle
• Shape: Hachikaku (Octagonal)
• Material: Ebony
• Kuchiwa: Black Buffalo Horn
• Ginmaki: Nickel Silver (x1)
  
• Length: 138mm
• Overall Length: 335mm
• Weight: 242g (8.54oz)
• Engraved mark: In Japanese Kanji "Echigo Tsukasa Made" (越後 司作)

About Hinoura Hamono 日野浦 刃物

Hinoura Hamono is a knife making workshop by Tsukasa Hinoura (日野浦 司) & Mutsumi Hinoura (日野浦 睦), the father and son team. Knife making by Hinoura can be traced back to Meiji era when first generation Hinoura, Shintaro Hinoura founded the knife forging business. Having moved to Sanjo city in Niigata in 1912, the Hinouras have been making knives there for over 100 years. Tsukasa Hinoura is a very discerning and low profile Echigo forgesmith, who is high respected by top tier knife artisans in Japan. Taking over the family career at around age of 22 back in 1978, he excelled in every level and his works are greatly admired by artisans in Sanjo, not only because of the beauty of his knives, but also his expression of that artisan soul. His son, Mutsumi Hinoura entered the lifelong career of bladesmithing in 2001, and the father and son team have been making knives that are highly valued in both Japan and overseas.

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.