Selecting Nakiri Knives

[Chris Amirault]

Thanks a bunch. I really appreciate it.

Once I put it to the EdgePro in a few days and give it a test run, I'll report back.

[ojisan]

Why not a Kamagata usuba?

[Chris Amirault]

I'm a lefty and need the double-beveled edge of the nakiri.

[scubadoo97]

I see that at JCK they are now listing an additional line they call "Inazuma": the styling is more traditional, and they use a different steel. Does anyone know anything about 19C27 steel, and how it compares to the VG10 in their Gekko line?

Chris, check out Gators website on Japanese knives and steel composition and resource information.

http://zknives.com/index.shtml

"19C27 - Sandvik steel, very pure alloy. Popular with Japanese knifemakers, referred simply as Swedish steel. Often seen in Japanese kitchen knives, where it is hardened in the range of 62-64HRC.

Alternate designations: 19C27(Sandvik)."

[Hiroyuki]

I'm a lefty and need the double-beveled edge of the nakiri.

OK, so why not a kamagata nakiri??

(That's what I wanted to ask in a previous post of mine!)

An example of kamagata nakiri can be found here. Scroll all the way down to the last photo, and you will see a Shigefusa kamagata nakiri.

I am the proud owner of a Shigefusa nakiri and a Shigefusa kitaeji petty knife as I mentioned here. They are both great!

[Chris Amirault]

That seems like a great option! I hadn't ever knowingly seen one of those before.

[Hiroyuki]

That seems like a great option! I hadn't ever knowingly seen one of those before.

Kamagata (sickle-shaped) nakiri are nothing new; even Kaijirushi (Kai in the United States) makes them, like this one.

By the way, I found that your nakiri is listed here in the shop's website.

The one in the photo doesn't look like yours, but the description is exactly the same.

Now, let's see your nakiri in action!

[Chris Hennes]

I love getting mail from Japan:

This is the Inazuma Nakiri from JCK. It comes pretty sharp out of the box, so I don't know that I'll bother sharpening it right away. Off to make dinner to see how it performs!

[Chris Amirault]

Can you photograph it next to a ruler?

[Chris Hennes]

How about next to a tape measure? Can't find a ruler right now.

[Dakki]

Those are some handsome knives. Congratulations to both managers named "Chris"!

[Chris Amirault]

Have been using the knife quite a bit and it's a dream. Light, great size for my big hands, and great design.

[Richard Kilgore]

Chris H, do you have a link to your knife on JCK? I am not finding it.

[Richard Kilgore]

Chris H, do you have a link to your knife on JCK? I am not finding it.

Never mind. I found it here.. I'll be interested to read more about your experience with it. Very good looking and a good price.

[Chris Hennes]

Richard, so far I'm very, very happy with the aesthetics of the knife, but still adapting my cooking to to the different blade shape. I've cooked with a standard Chef's knife my whole life, some of the habits I built up don't work when the blade is so wide at the end.

[Chris Amirault]

Absolutely. I get tempted to rock and roll with that rounded-end nakiri and it just doesn't work the same. Best to adjust technique to the thin, sharp blade and use that long, straight edge to your advantage.

[Chris Amirault]

I just sharpened the two nakiris I have and noticed that the new one is a much softer steel. It's now as sharp as any knife I've ever had, too. Makes me think I want to stick to very strict vegetable, fruit, and boned meat use. Does anyone have any information about the steel in it?

[Hiroyuki]

I just sharpened the two nakiris I have and noticed that the new one is a much softer steel. It's now as sharp as any knife I've ever had, too. Makes me think I want to stick to very strict vegetable, fruit, and boned meat use. Does anyone have any information about the steel in it?

Do you want to know the hardness of your powder HSS Damascus blade? And, the exact composition of the steel? If you post any specific questions you want to ask, I can send the shop another inquiry.

[Chris Amirault]

That would be terrific. Thanks.

[Hiroyuki]

That would be terrific. Thanks.

Sorry, no reply from Tsubaya up to now.

[Hiroyuki]

That would be terrific. Thanks.

Sorry, no reply from Tsubaya up to now.

Got a reply from them just now.

It says that they checked with Kappabashi Tsubaya, which said that they would send an inquiry to the factory (plant?, workshop?), so that a reply would be sent next week.

[Hiroyuki]

A summary of the long reply from the factory:

Alloy ingredients: Carbon, chromium, molybdenum, vanadium, cobalt, etc.

Hardness: Approx. 63

[Chris Amirault]

Belated thanks for this, Hiroyuki.

I will again state that this knife is a godsend. However, due to it getting a small nick from careless washing, it is now the one knife in the house that may only be touched by me. I'm thinking of going the Nigel Tufnel route and instituting a "no pointing, no looking" policy....

[Hassouni]

So as a very happy multi-purpose user of a Tojiro DP 240mm gyutou, what might I use a nakiri for?

[paulraphael]

So as a very happy multi-purpose user of a Tojiro DP 240mm gyutou, what might I use a nakiri for?

Some people like the compact size of a nakiri. It's a popular style among Japanese home cooks in very small kitchens. Think of it as the precursor to the santoku. It does nothing that you can't do with a gyuto, and it does nothing better. The reverse is not true.