Kaishin "Thin Series" Ginsan (Silver #3) Gyuto

This "thin series" wa-gyuto is a "laser" knife, handcrafted and hand-sharpened by a team of traditional artisans and craftsmen. 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 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): Ginsan (Silver #3)
• Jigane (Cladding): Stainless Steel
• Hardness: 60-62  HRC
• Hand-forged, hand-grinded, hand-sharpened
• Blade Length: 210mm (8.3") / 240mm (9.4")
• Blade Height (at heel): 46mm / 48mm
• Spine Thickness
• Above heel: 3.1mm / 3.1mm
• Middle: 2.2mm /  2.2mm
• Handle
• Shape: Hachikaku (Octagonal)
• Material: Japanese Magnolia (Ho Wood) / Sugi with Wiped Urushi
• Kuchiwa: Blond/Marble Buffalo Horn
• Length: 140mm / 140mm
• Overall Length: 364mm / 392mm
• Weight:
• With Magnolia Handle: 156g (5.50oz) /  163g (5.75oz)
• With Sugi Handle: 178g (6.28oz)
• Hand chiselled mark: In Japanese Kanji "Kaishin" (魁心)
• Engraved mark: In Japanese Kanji "Ginsan" (銀三)

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:

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.