Tsunehisa Kiritsuke Aogami Super Kuro-uchi Tsuchime 210 mm [rosewood-cedar] is a great multi-purpose knife with a black kuro-uchi protective patina and hammer dents. The kiritsuke blade shape is a multifunctional Japanese kitchen knife, suitable for everyday use since 210mm (8.3") blade length is an optimal size for chopping vegetables as well as cutting larger pieces of meat and fish. The kuro-uchi (black) patina on the upper part of the knife gives it a unique and rustic appearance.

BLADE SHAPE:

Kiritsuke blade shape is characterized by a long, flat blade with very little belly curve and a pointed, diamond shaped tip, also known as a “K-tip” (K for kiritsuke). The tip enables precise and effortless work and can be used for all sorts of tasks in the kitchen: slicing sashimi, cutting ribeye, chopping veggies, mincing garlic... Due to its straight edge, it has a limited rocking motion on the kitchen board. A great alternative to the Gyuto knife!

STEEL:

The core of this knife is Hitachi's Super Blue Steel (Aogami Super), which is the very top quality of traditional Japanese steels. This knife was heat-treated to around 63 HRC. It is a very hard steel, meaning that it will retain a super-fine sharpness for a long time. In addition, due to the high carbon content (1.4-1.5%), the knife is very easy to sharpen. Among the high carbon steels, Aogami Super is also the least sensitive to rust. It also contains 0.4% vanadium as an admixture for micronized metal grains, which gives the steel more toughness. Aogami Super is rated as the most advanced carbon steel. The outer layers are of softer, stainless steel, giving the knife extra rust protection.

LAMINATION:

A high hardness of around 63 HRC means that the blade won’t be very tough, so the blade’s core was laminated using the san-mai method to improve its structural integrity and subsequent ability to withstand impacts and prevent chipping. San-mai translates to “three layers” in Japanese, referring to a blade that is composed of a primary, inner layer of harder steel (hagane) and of two secondary, outer layers of softer steel (jigane) that protect the prior.

BLADE FINISH:

Kuro-uchi finish, the unprocessed (black) part on the top side of the blade has already developed a dark patina, which protects the blade and gives it a traditional Japanese look. The knife bears visible impressions of the hand-forging process (round hammer dents on the blade), which gives it a beautiful finish and also prevents food from sticking to the blade.

HANDLE:

The traditional Japanese Wa handle is oval and smooth, with no discernible transition between the rosewood and beech wood. It’s suitable for both left- and right-handed users.

BLACKSMITH:

Tsunehisa is a brand that combines a variety of high-quality knives from various knife centers of Japan such as Tosa, Seki, and Sakai. Their philosophy is that each region has its own steel and different manufacturing processes. For example, Tosa is best known for its Ginsanko and Aus-8 steels, Seki is famous for making excellent blades from the V-Gold group of steels, and Sakai for its single beveled Honyaki knives.