Hokiyama Kiritsuke Tsuchime 240mm (9.5")

Hokiyama Kiritsuke Tsuchime in 240mm (9.5") blade length is a knife suitable for professional users and those home cooks who know how to treat and maintain high-carbon knives. It will impress all fans of Japanese blades who prefer a traditional Japanese knife shape in combination with the classic, western handle and some more weight.

Kiritsuke knives are double-bevel hybrids between the traditional Japanese knife yanagiba (slicer knife, mostly used for sushi) and the usuba (knife specialized to cut vegetables). This means kiritsuke knives can be used for all sorts of tasks in the kitchen, from making sashimi, slicing through ribeye, to chopping veggies. Traditionally, kiritsuke knives were only allowed to be used by the Executive Chef of the restaurant, but we'll look away if you're not (yet) the head chef.

The upper part of the blade is black and was left untreated. This scaly residue remains on the blade after the process of heat-treatment of the steel and is called kuro-uchi. Kuro-uchi patina brings a unique and rustic appearance to the knife. The hammer dents from the forging process are visible on the surface of the blade. These dents not only add to the aesthetics of the knife, but they also prevent the food from sticking to the blade.

The core of Kiritsuke Tsuchime knife is Hitachi's Super Blue Steel (Aogami Super), which ranks at the very top of quality Japanese steels. Aogami Super steel is extremely rich in carbon content, which directly affects the blade's hardness. It also contains 0.4% vanadium which gives the steel more toughness.

Aogami Super is rated as the most advanced carbon steel on the market. High-carbon steels need more maintenance as they quickly develop a protective patina, and if not wiped and dried after every use, they will develop rust. But - Hokiyama made it a bit easier for us. The two outer layers of softer, SUS405 steel are rust-resistant, which offer more protection from rust, although the Aogami Super is still exposed at the very edge (the visible, curvy line on the bottom of the blade represents the line between core and outer steels).

Kiritsuke was heat-treated to the hardness of around 63 HRC. It is extremely hard steel, meaning that it retains super fine sharpness for a long time despite its extensive usage. In addition, due to the high carbon content, the knife is very easy to sharpen.

The knife was fitted a western-style (Yo) ergonomic handle made of durable laminated pakka wood, secured to the tang with three stainless rivets. The also stainless nickel-silver bolster gives the knife a gentle transition from the handle to the blade and provides a comfortable and firm grip during use.

About Hokiyama:
Hokiyama Hamono is a leading smithy in Kochi Prefecture in Japan. They have recently celebrated their 100-year anniversary, founded in 1919. Hokiyama Hamono is known for their quality as they follow the tradition of hand-made blades that has been around for over 800 years. They retain the handiwork and traditional craftsmanship that is passed down from generation to generation while striving for the ever-new knowledge and innovation. Despite the fact that they make knives according to the traditional methods, they follow the modern technological guidelines in the field of metallurgy, material processing and innovations in production processes. Hokiyama, in their own words, is a fusion of tradition (土佐 一), innovation (無限) and practicality (左近).

Each knife in the smithy goes through about 50 different processes that are performed and controlled by experienced craftsmen. Among the various steps required to make a Hokiyama knife is a special process called Rolling-Forging. It enables the efficient and uniform production of knives while maintaining the properties and qualities of Japanese steel.