Hatsukokoro Shiragasi 165mm Kiritsuke Deba Aogami-2

Hatsukokoro is a brand that works with some of the best blacksmiths and grinders in Japan. This means that they are not limited to just a few steel types or grinds, but actually have the opportunity to work on and develop a lot of different knives with different steel types, geometries, grinds and finishes.

The Shirasagi series consists of traditional Japanese knives, which means they are only sharpened on the right side, meaning these knives are intended for right-handed use only. They are forged in Tosa and sharpened by the highly respected sharpening workshop, Myojin Riki Seisakusho.

The knife is forged in 2 layers (ni-mai) with Aogami-2 (blue 2) as the core steel, it is one of the classic Japanese carbon steel types. This means that the knife can rust if you are not careful. These knives have a fairly defined primary edge, which means that sharpening takes significantly longer than a normal knife, so it makes perfect sense to forge them in carbon steel, as it is much easier to sharpen.

A Deba is a traditional Japanese filleting knife, but is also often used for deboning poultry and other things. What is special about this particular Deba is the atypical "K-tip", which you don't see on this type of knife very often. We personally love the expression the slightly different tip gives.

• Hatsukokoro (Tosa)
• 165mm Deba
• Not stainless
• Aogami #2 (Blue #2)
• Japanese WA handle made of walnut and buffalo horn