150mm Hatsukokoro Kurokaze Wa Petty Utility

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: Kurokaze

Construction: San mai

Edge Steel: shirogami #2(white #2)

Cladding: Stainless Steel

Finish: Kurouchi

Edge Grind: 50/50 (Double Bevel)

Handle: Octagonal stabilized birch with micarta spacer.

Weight: ~104 grams

Blade Length: ~150mm

Overall Length: ~273mm

Thickness at Heel: ~3.6mm

Blade Height: ~31mm

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.