Nigara Hamono has a reputation for the absolute highest quality and the level of expertise and skill these craftsmen posses is not often found. The company is led by the master blacksmith by the name of Tsuyoshi Yoshizawa and every knife they make is forged by hand with the utmost care and attention to detail and quality. This combined, helps create knives made to last for years to come. Hand-crafted using VG10 steel and with perfectly crafted custom and wood handles the fit and finish of Nigara knives are second to none.

VG10 is a great type of stainless steel for kitchen knives and is very common. Typically, these knives have an HRC between 60 and 61, good edge retention, and excellent corrosion resistance. Damascus-style knives often use VG-10 as the core, with Damascus steel wrapped around them. VG-10 is a grade of Japanese stainless steel primarily focused on cutlery. The name stands for V Gold 10, where "gold" refers to quality. The approximate content is 1% carbon, 1-3% vanadium, 14.5%-15.5% chromium, 0.9-1.2% molybdenum, 1.3-1.5% cobalt, 0.5% manganese, and 0.03% phosphorus.

The Santoku is the most popular knife in the Japanese home and considered to be an all rounder in the kitchen. The meaning of Santoku is the “three virtues” in Japanese and is a reference to its multi purpose and versatility. It can be used to prepare fish, chicken and most fruits and vegetables but is too small for large food items like watermelons and bigger cuts of meat. The Santoku is great as an alternative if you have a larger chef’s knife as most Santokus come in at around 165mm to 180mm its easy to handle and has a snubbed nose to it

Weight: 151g

Handle Material: Ebony Mono

Handle Length: 130mm (5.1")

Blade Length: 180mm (7")

Blade Depth: 49mm

Thickness at spine: 2mm

Thickness at tip: 0.2mm

Cutting Edge: 50/50

Blade Material: Damascus Vg10

Hardness (Rockwell scale): 60-61