Hado Sumi 165mm Santoku Shirogami 2 Kurouchi Finish Burnt Oak

Blade is hand forged shirogami #2 with a rustic style kurouchi finished soft iron cladding. Handle is octagonal burnt oak sealed with a thin clear urushi lacquer coating.

The Hado ‘Sumi’ Shirogami series double bevel knives are forged at Tanaka Hamono, led by Yoshikazu Tanaka a top level ‘Dentokougeshi’ blacksmith in Sakai City, Osaka. Tanaka Hamono coaxes excellent edge retention and toughness from Shirogami #2 (AKA white steel) with a smooth easy sharpening feel. They are ground with flat even kireba and a polished spine and heel by Tadataka Maruyama, a very talented up and coming sharpener. These will be easy to follow up thinning and are a delight to maintain.

Shirogami, or white steel, which is a very fine grained carbon steel made from low contaminate iron. It’s loved for its ease of sharpening and ability to take a very fine, razor sharp edge. It should be mentioned that extra care is required, as the knife is not stainless and should be dried immediately after use. It will develop a dark patina with use, but any orange rust should be removed with a light abrasive.