Nakiri Knife // Damascus

The ZA-18 Damascus Nakiri is another astonishing-looking and high-performing knife made by the hands of master Osamu-san, the head blacksmith of Yoshida Hamono. With its 63-layers of Damascus pattern it will be the star of your kitchen, either at home or in a professional kitchen. Nakiri knives are made for one purpose— chopping vegetables. So if you prepare or cook a lot of veggies, but already have a knife for cutting meat and fish, a nakiri knife will be a great choice for you.

ZA-18 features similar characteristics than VG-10 steel. While VG-10 is the flagship steel of the Takefu steel manufacturer, ZA-18 is made by Aichi Steel. Both steels have a similar chemical composition, with ZA-18 having a slightly higher content of carbon, chromium, molybdenum and cobalt, and thus a little more strength, durability, and resistance to corrosion. The steel has been tempered to a hardness of around 61-62 HRC.

Yoshida fitted to his ZA-18 Damascus line of knives a beautiful Rosewood asymmetrical D-shaped handle. It will fit best into the hands of right-handed users, but it can also be used by left-handed. The thumb can rest nicely on the "pointy" part of the D-shape, and usually the preferred grip on Japanese knives is a pinch grip, where the shape of the handle doesn't matter much.

This ZA-18 Damascus Santoku is a superb, versatile kitchen knife with a great balance, incredible sharpness, and rust resistance. It's easy to maintain and to sharpen, complete with beautiful 63-layered Damascus pattern.