Yoshikane Hamono 165mm Santoku SKD Nashiji Teak Handle

Made for Hatsukokoro by Yoshikane in Sanjo Niigata.

Yoshikane’s hand forged SKD semi-stainless core with stainless nashiji finished stainless cladding and octagonal teak handle with horn ferrule.

SKD steel is a nearly stainless carbon steel at approx 11-12% chromium content (13% and the chromium is able to bond with itself forming a stain resistant film) it is sometimes referred to as ‘semi stainless’ as it rusts slowly and has low reactivity with flavors.

Hardened to 64 HRC, these knives hold a keen edge for a long time, owing to thier excellent heat treatment and despite this hardness they have a good degree of toughness and are very easy to sharpen. Being ground with a wide, kiriba primary bevel, they also allow for easy thinning down the road, especially as Yoshikane kireba grinds are especially flat.

The core of this knife is ‘semi-stainless’ and has a certain degree of rust resistance, but as it is not completely stainless, it should be dried immediately after use. The core will develop a patina with use, but any orange rust should be removed with a light abrasive.

Yoshikane is headed by Kazuomi Yamamoto the fourth generation to operate this family run forging and grinding operation in Sanjo, Niigata which  has been making kitchen knives since 1919. They deserve their good reputation for excellent forging and heat treatments, which make for easy sharpening and great edge life for both single and double bevel knives. This is especially true about the thin grinds provided on their double bevel knives. For middleweight Japanese knives, they cut like a much thinner blade.