150mm Hatsukokoro Kumokage Wa Honesuki

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. Kumokage translates to “cloud shadow”.

Location: Amagasaki, Japan

Line: Kumokage

Construction: San mai

Edge Steel: Aogami #2(Blue #2) HRC~63

Cladding: Damascus

Finish: Kurouchi

Edge Grind: 50/50 (Double Bevel)

Handle: Wenge with buffalo horn ferrule

Weight: ~ 132grams

Blade Length: ~150mm

Overall Length: ~282mm

Thickness at Heel: ~4.3mm

Blade Height: ~39mm

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. 

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.