This series is hand ground by Makoto Tadokoro in Tosa Japan and forged by Satoshi Nakagawa in Sakai.

Tadokoro-san trained with the famous grinder & sharpener Morihiro in Sakai beginning as a teenager. Tadokoro-san's grinding and finishing skill is exceptional, his work definitely shows he has made the most of his 25 years of experience.

Nakagawa-san's knives are characterized by excellent heat control during forging and a very thorough heat treatment creating knives that have superb edge formation and edge life with good toughness.

FAQ 

What is a kiritsuke?
A Japanese multi-purpose profile often used like a yanagiba/gyuto hybrid—long, flat-ish edge, precise tip work.

What does blade only mean?
The listing is the knife blade without a handle, suited to custom handles or replacement blades.

Why Aogami 1?
High-carbon steel known for keen edges and edge retention when properly heat-treated (as with Nakagawa’s work); requires drying and care like other carbon knives.

Where is it made?
Forged by Satoshi Nakagawa in Sakai; hand-ground by Makoto Tadokoro in Tosa, Japan.

Specs:

• Sharpener: Tadokoro
• Blacksmith: Nakagawa 
• Core Steel: Aogami 1 
• Cladding: Soft Iron Damascus 
• Finish: Hon Kasumi
• Edge Length: 240 mm
• Height: 50 mm
• Weight: 169 g 
• Spine at heel: 2.7 mm
• Spine midway: 2.3 mm 
• Spine about 1 cm from tip: 1.3 mm

Use & Care

• Do not attempt to cut, hit or chop frozen products or bones. The blade can chip or break with improper use.
• Hand wash with warm water and towel dry. Never put the knife in a dishwasher, nor soak it in water. Ever!
• Use a sharpening stone to maintain the sharpness of the blade. 
• Do not use on hard melons or items that may torque the blade.
• Use a sharpening stone to maintain the sharpness of the blade.