170mm Hatsukokoro Yorokobi Wa Bunka Blade

This is a food prep knife designed for users who value excellent sharpness and edge retention and who can tolerate the reactivity of the blade as they are prone to discolor food they come in contact with. They are best honed with leather strops and sharpened on high-grit waterstones.

H & K’s house brand is called Hatsukoro. The brand is supplied by a handful of manufacturers from different notable knifemaking regions such as Seki, Tosa and Sanjo. 

Location: Amagasaki, Japan

Line: Yorokobi

Construction: San mai

Edge Steel: SLD (HRC~62)

Cladding: Damascus

Finish: Kurouchi

Edge Grind: 50/50 (Double Bevel)

Handle: N/A

Weight: ~106g

Blade Length: ~168mm

Overall Length: N/A

Thickness at Heel: ~3.8mm

Blade Height: ~50.3mm

The best sharpening tools for Japanese knives are leather strops and fine whetstones.

Japanese chef knives are brittle and are designed for cutting soft tissue foods. High Carbon steel chef knives can rust if not kept dry.