Discount Store Hatsukokoro Shinkiro Gyuto 210mm

First Impressions

Made for Hatsukokoro by Takahiro Nihei, these blades are an exceptional line boasting a thick spine and smooth distal taper and a screaming sharp edgeall as you would expect from such a skilled blacksmith.

Beauty

A mixed finish of kurouchi cladding running down to a subtle damascus line and finally polished core steel combine to make a great looking knife in a traditional style. We’ve chosen to pair these with an ebony and white buffalo wa handle.

In Hand

You’ll notice in hand that this is a pretty thick range of knives, especially just above the heel where you’d hold it in a pinch grip. This provides a lot of stability and puts the balance point a little ahead of the heel.

It’snimble and well balanced and that thickness of the spine is counter balanced a little by the ebony handle.

Durability

Aogami Super is a very popular and durable steel and used widely throughout the Japanese knife world so it’s one that’s easy to sharpen and retains an edge well so this is definitely a knife that’s going to last when cared for.

Ease of Care

The core steel is reactiveso will develop a patina as it reacts with the acids and moisture in your foods. Other than that, ournormal care instructionsalways apply and for day to day care.

For longer term care and upkeep werecommend ourcarbon steel care kitwhich has everything you need to keep your carbon knives in tip top condition.

Our Verdict

A stunning knife all round and from the hand laminated start, Nihei-san makes these in a style that shows a little of training in the profile which is quite common amongSanjo based or trained based blacksmiths and it’s quite similar to Yoshikane’s linesand the Sumiiro from Konosuke and so the baseline of a proven and high quality profile and edge is already tried and tested.

These are beautiful knives boasting layers of finishes from the nashiji markings on the kurouchi finish to the exposed damascus and finally the high polish of the core steel and we’re delighted to be able to stock them and for anyone seeking a top class thicker workhorse profile knife the Shinkiro is highly recommended.