Nakamura Kaishin Saku WS2 24cm Japanese handmade yanagiba knife in oak

Nakamura was founded in Japan in 2015, following the establishment of an artisanal manufacturing workshop. Nakamura's aim is to collaborate with renowned Japanese sharpeners and blacksmiths to create exceptional Japanese knives. With this in mind, the Kaishin (魁心) brand was created: Kai (魁) means "pioneer" and Shin (心) means "spirit". This is the philosophy that guides Nakamura Kaishin creations to make top-of-the-range Japanese kitchen knives!

Your yanagiba is forged by a team of expert blacksmiths, then sharpened by Tomoyuki Ajioka, Sakai's renowned traditional master sharpener. With over fifty years' experience, he has passed on his skills to numerous apprentices in order to preserve the tradition of Japanese cutlery. Every time he sharpens, he puts himself in the user's shoes, ensuring an exceptionally precise edge for a clean, effortless cut!

A high-quality Japanese knife

This yanagiba knife features a blade with a typically Japanese San Maï (meaning "3 layers") structure. This technique consists of forging a core of rigid steel, which is then surrounded by a layer of softer steel, folded in on itself to form the remaining 2 layers. This process gives your blade an optimal balance of hardness and protection at the heart of your Japanese kitchen knife.

The heart of your handcrafted knife is made from Shirogami #2 Japanese steel (also known as White Paper Steel 2), an alloy produced by the famous steelmaker Hitachi. It has a high carbon content of around 1.2%, the element that increases the blade's hardness. As a result, the blade achieves a hardness of 61HRC on the Rockwell scale, ensuring excellent edge retention for a high-performance cutting edge!

The cutting edge of your kitchen knife is asymmetrically shaped, typical of yanagiba knives. This gives your knife a bevelled edge that is particularly suited to right-handed use. It's ideal for making thin, even slices in a single movement!

To finish the San Maï, a layer of soft iron covers the core of your blade. This gives your blade a slight suppleness (without making it flexible), guaranteeing greater resistance to breakage during use. You can observe the superimposition of the different steels along the cutting edge, where a fine wave of random patterns emerges.

Finally, your blade has been given a Kasumi (meaning "misty") polished finish. This traditional finish is achieved with clay to give a satin effect. What's more, kanji have been hand-engraved to give your Japanese kitchen knife a touch of authenticity.

A solid handle for this yanagiba knife

The handle of your Nakamura knife is made of oak wood, a robust and durable species. This wood has a high density for greater resistance to moisture, shock and deformation. The end of the handle has been burnt to give character to your Kashin Saku knife, making it even more solid!

The handle is octagonal in shape to suit the hands of all cooks! It offers an ergonomic grip for comfortable use, especially during extended cooking sessions.

Wood paste has been added where the blade meets the handle to fill any gaps. This ensures a watertight seal and prevents water or small food items from seeping inside.

Care and maintenance of a handcrafted Japanese knife

To care for your carbon knife, it's essential to wash it only by hand with a sponge and a mild detergent, avoiding wetting the handle. Once cleaned, you should dry it immediately to remove all moisture and store it in a dry place. Do not use the dishwasher or leave your knife to soak in the sink.

With the passage of time, the color of your blade may vary slightly, which is perfectly normal! This is a natural reaction of carbon to the acidity of the food you're cutting and the humidity in the air. This in no way affects the use of your exceptional Japanese knife!

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