The Kiritsuke is a great replacement for a gyuto/chef’s knife and has become very popular in the past few years as the drop tip tappers down to a very thin scalpel and is an aggressive work horse. They generally come in a few sizes ranging from 210mm to 240mm. Traditionally a kiritsuke is a single-beveled and combined with the rustic geometry, makes the kiritsuke look like an epic kitchen sword. This is used for slicing up large cuts of meat and fish it will give you a clean cut finish.

The Takeda Hamono NAS Aogami Super range is forged from Aogami Super Blue Super carbon steel, one of the highest performing traditional Japanese knife steels, manufactured using advanced alloying with high levels of carbon, tungsten, molybdenum, chromium, and vanadium. The high carbon content allows the blades to achieve exceptional hardness, typically around 62–64 HRC, delivering outstanding edge retention and the ability to take an extremely fine, razor sharp edge. Tungsten and vanadium contribute to the formation of hard carbides, improving wear resistance and cutting longevity, while molybdenum enhances toughness and stability during heat treatment.

Each blade is traditionally hand-forged by Shosui Takeda using san mai construction, with a hard Aogami Super core protected by softer cladding layers to balance cutting performance, durability, and strength. The NAS range is renowned among professional chefs for its exceptional sharpness, unique forged finish, and the combination of advanced metallurgy with centuries old Japanese blacksmithing techniques.

Weight: 163g

Handle Material: Wa handle - Magnolia wood, Buffalo horn ferrule

Handle Length: 135mm (5.3")

Blade Length: 210mm (8.2")

Blade Depth: 60mm

Thickness at spine: 2.3mm

Thickness at tip: 0.4mm

Cutting Edge: Double 50/50

Blade Material: Aogami Super (Blue Super) (Carbon steel)

Hardness (Rockwell scale): 63 - 64