Hiragatake, SLD Nakiri 165mm

 The nakiri is a traditional Japanese knife used to chop fruit and vegetables. The edge is double beveled, like a Western knife. Though sometimes called a vegetable cleaver, the thin edge geometry makes it a precision tool, rather than a Japanese equivalent to meat cleavers. It is often used as a general purpose chef's knife and can get a lot of chopping done in short order.
Hiragatake chef's knives, hand forged in Sanjo, are terrific performers. The stainless steel blade is forged using the san mai technique - a hard steel forms the cutting edge and is sandwiched between softer layers of steel. This results in a strong knife with very long edge holding. The core steel is SLD, an incredibly high performing stainless steel. It was heat treated to Hrc 64 (very hard!) This is clad with soft stainless steel sides.
The hand hammered surface assists food to fall away rather than sticking to the side of the knife while chopping. The blade has a nice distal taper - beginning with a strong, thick spine where the blade moves out of the handle and diving into a thin, high performance blade as it moves toward the tip. This ensures optimal balance, control, and cutting.
The 'D' shape handle fits comfortably and securely in the hand and is traditionally used by a right-handed user, though many left-handed users find this handle to be equally comfortable. It is formed from macassar ebony with a pakkawood ferrule. This wood holds up extremely well in the harsh environment of the kitchen. Like other kitchen knives, this knife should not be put in a dishwasher.