The Sasanoha knife (笹の葉) is a traditional Japanese blade style named after the shape of bamboo grass leaves, featuring a long, narrow profile with a pointed tip designed for precision and control. Often associated with sushi and traditional Japanese cuisine, the Sasanoha combines elements of a Yanagiba and Gyuto, offering a versatile slicing blade with excellent agility for detailed preparation work. These knives are valued for their ability to achieve an extremely sharp edge, smooth slicing action, and excellent edge retention. The elongated blade allows chefs to make clean, single-pass cuts through fish, meat, and vegetables, while the refined tip provides accuracy for intricate techniques. The Sasanoha represents the balance of traditional Japanese craftsmanship, performance-focused geometry, and the precision required in professional kitchens.

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: 137g

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

Handle Length: 130mm (5.1")

Blade Length: 214mm (8.4")

Blade Depth: 47mm

Thickness at spine: 2.4mm

Thickness at tip: 0.2mm

Cutting Edge: Double 50/50

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

Hardness (Rockwell scale): 63 - 64