Honyaki Usuba, 180mm (7 1/8 in) with Saya

Product Description for Honyaki Usuba, 180mm (7 1/8 in) with Saya

Maker: Kumagoro Honyaki (click to see more by this maker)
Item num: 86798
Blade length: 7.10 in.
Total length: 13.75 in.
Blade height (at heel): 1.73 in.
Blade thickness (near bolster): 0.17 in.
Item weight: 8.16 oz.
Shipment weight: 14.32 oz.
Blade: Hand forged honyaki (or "true-forged") shirogrami #3 carbon steel tempered to Hrc 63
Bolster: Blonde and brown buffalo horn ferrule
Handle: Octagonal macassar ebony
Sheath: Macassar ebony saya
Description: Kumagoro's Master Bladesmith hand forges these honyaki ("true forged") hocho. His traditional Japanese knives are highly sought after by professional chefs and show tremendous skill.
Usuba are used for cutting meats and vegetables into extremely thin slices typical of Japanese cuisine. These blades are quite thin and should not be used on hard rind vegetables. Both the handle and the blade are created specifically for right-handed use.
This knife is in the honyaki style, meaning it is forged from one piece of carbon steel and differentially hardened. This is accomplished by coating the spine of the knife with clay prior to quenching, causing the spine to cool slower than the blade-edge. The resulting undulating heat treatment line is called a gunome hamon and shows the transition between hard edge-steel and soft spine-steel. This technique takes far more skill to forge and shape than kasumi knives. Of all the Japanese knives, honyaki have the greatest kirenaga (staying sharp the longest) but they are also more fragile than other knives and can chip, crack, or break if used improperly. Kumagoro's master bladesmith began with Yasuki White Paper #3 (shirogami #3). The cutting edge is hardened to Hrc 63, resulting in exceptional edge holding.
The macassar ebony octagonal handle fits comfortably and securely in the hand and is best used by a right-handed user. The buffalo horn ferrule has rare blonde and brown tones. While most traditional handles are formed using black buffalo horn, we have asked Kumagoro's Master Bladesmith to search for these rare, dramatic ferrules.
This knife is accompanied by a macassar ebony saya (blade guard). This protects the knife's edge while in transport and storage.


Availability: Not currently available