Gift Selection Nakamura Hamono Kaishin Ginsan Santoku

First Impressions

The “Kaishin” range makes an excellent first impression, they’re ground very thin behind the edge and this gives very good cutting performance right out of the box across the entire range and it’s clear the attention to detail and quality of finish is something Nakamura Hamono care deeply about.

Beauty

Simple and understated looks with a nicely done hairline migaki polish are classy and stylish and the other areas where you might sometimes expect to see compromises are also well done including the well finished heel and spines.

The attention to detail runs through to the handles which are also well fitted and a high quality magnolia and buffalo horn which compliment the blade perfectly.

In Hand

One thing we immediately noticed in hand was that Nakamura don’t skimp on the quality of the handle in the Kaishin line even though magnolia is a traditional wood often used not just for its anti microbial properties but because it’s quite cheap – there are levels to it and the handles fitted to this range are all beautifully finished and smoothly fitted with a nice feeling of weight to balance the blade.

They’re very comfortable and smooth and the bolster fit and overall finish in hand with the smooth heel and spine finish on the knife is a great experience.

Durability

This is a knife designed to be robust and the Silver 3 core clad in stainless holds is a becoming a more common combination for the edge retention quality and ease of care.The 61 HRC gives you a bit flexibility you don’t get with a higher hardness.

Ease of Care

You’ll find Silver 3 holds an edge well and is generally easy to sharpen so just follow our normalcare instructionsand we’d suggest checking out aknife care kitfor longer term maintenance.

Our Verdict

We’re deeply impressed with the Kaishin line, given Nakamura Hamono are a young brand only established in 2015 they have clearly used their experience and worked with some excellent knife makers in Sakai to produce these great value and quality knives.

Like many brands who work in a more collaborative way, they don’t specify who the blacksmiths are but the Kaishin line is hand forged and sharpened with an excellent edge and the overall fit and the attention to detail at this price point represents great value and we’re sure this range will feature on a lot of your shortlists and for good reason.