Ryusen Hamono is another fantastic maker working out of Echizen City. They fully embrace the tradition of the region and take great pride in every step of the knife making process. They produce knives with excellent fit & finish, and sharpness that are absolutely beautiful to look at and hold. Winners of numerous design awards and supporters of the Japanese national team at the Bocuse D'or their knives are popular with professional chef's and home cooks alike.
The Knife
From The Ryusen Hamono Website...
"— Fine product with the warmth of natural wood, functionality and grace — This Japanese modern kitchen knife combining a blade where beautiful patterns stand out with a Japanese-style octagonal handle is also a popular model in overseas countries. High-quality ATS314 steel, which provides amazing sharpness and is commonly used for knives, barber/hairdressing scissors and other cutting tools, is used for the blade core. The blade is made of this core ATS314 steel and 63-layer stainless steel sandwiching the core, and was forged with the traditional Ryusen forging technique. It is a top-end blade achieving long-lasting sharpness and an elegant design. The octagonal Japanese-style handle is made of curly maple, characterized by its natural color tone, providing a gentle texture and grip. Octagonal handles have long been popular not only because the number eight is considered lucky in Japan, but also they are easy to grip.
The elegant and warm feel and design provided by the natural wood come to fit the user's hand neatly with long use. Since this is a refined kitchen knife with long-lasting excellent sharpness, beauty and ease of use, it is perfect not only for everyday cooking, but also as a gift for your close friends."
The Shape
The Nakiri is not to be confused with a heavy meat cleaver, used to smash its way through bones, but instead is thin and light and meant to fly through veg prep. The flat profile of these blades gives great board contact which lends itself to a chopping or push/pull cutting motion, however you can still rock over smaller ingredients with ease with a nakiri.
