Blade: VG-MAX high-carbon stainless-steel, damascus clad

Handle: Contoured walnut-colored PakkaWood®

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

Quite simply, “nakiri” is Japanese for "vegetable knife." If you haven’t used Japanese-style knives before, the nakiri is sure to attract your attention due to its interesting shape. Yet this blade shape is quite practical, too. With its blunt tip, the Shun Premier Nakiri is safer to use in the kitchen, but without sacrificing any of the slicing and dicing power you need when processing vegetables. Because of its straight blade, edge, and spine, the nakiri isn’t rocked like a chef's knife. Instead, use a push cut by moving the knife down and forward while keeping the edge parallel to the cutting surface. If you cut vegetables for salad or stir-fry, you will simply love using the Shun Premier Nakiri.

The Shun Premier Nakiri is part of the beautiful Shun Premier line, which calls to mind the hand-forged knives of ancient Japan. While each knife still takes at least 100 handcrafted steps to complete, the materials Shun uses are among the most advanced in the industry. Each blade has a cutting core of Shun's proprietary VG-MAX “super steel” to take and hold a precision edge. The layered Damascus cladding supports the core and provides additional stain resistance. Near the edge of the blade, where the steels meet, an undulating line is formed—similar to the hamon formed when samurai swords are tempered using a traditional clay-baking technique. The hammered tsuchime finish acts like a series of hollow-ground cavities to reduce drag. The handles nestle comfortably in the hand, while the embossed end cap adds balance and beauty.