Hatsukokoro Kumokage 150 mm Utility Blue-2

Hatsukokoro is a brand from Amagasaki close to Osaka City. They collaborate with various blacksmiths and sharpeners around Japan and develop new series in an attempt to make some of the best knives in the world, but also really good knives in a lower price range to be able to supply all different needs.

The Kumokage series is made with Aogami #2 in the core and soft iron on the outside, so it requires a little care when using it, but it makes up for it in cutting ability and how easy it is to sharpen. Kumokage means "Cloud Shadow" and tells a little about the appearance and expression of the knife. The very raw kurouchi finish on the top of the blade, together with the really nice damascus finish down towards the edge, gives the knife a super nice balance between "unfinished" and incredibly well made.

The handle is a classic Japanese octagonal WA handle in walnut with a buffalo horn ferrule.

The knife here is a so-called utility knife of 15 cm. After the chef's knife, it is probably the most universal knife of the common types, and can also replace a chef's knife in many ways. It is not quite as tall as a chef's knife and is also shorter, making it very easy to handle. It can be used for slicing vegetables and cutting smaller pieces of meat - and it is fantastically good for trimming meat as well as finer cutting tasks in fruit and vegetables.

The knife must never be washed in a dishwasher, must not cut into hard objects such as bones, cartilage, bones and frozen objects as well as hard cheeses. Remember that it is a property of thin, hard metal that it can break.