Hitohira TD Blue #2 Stainless Clad Nashiji Honesuki Kaku 150mm Walnut Handle

The Hitohira TD series consists of sturdy handmade knives from Sanjo, Niigata. All the knives we carry in the TD series are hand forged which makes for a noticeable improvement in steel quality. Very good prices for hand-forged knives. They come in kurouchi, tsuchime, nashiji and sometimes migaki finished stainless cladding on either Blue #2 (carbon steel) or SLD (semi stainless steel) core. Like many Sanjo made knives, they have spines that are somewhat thicker towards the neck, making for a nice grip and a little more weight. Very well made and reliable knives.

The Honesuki is a Japanese-style butchery knife, mainly used for breaking down and deboning poultry and larger cuts of meat. The Honesuki Kaku version is more suited to poultry work. It has a pronounced heel that makes it great for cutting through cartilage while the Maru version, with its more rounded profile, works better for other types of meat but isn’t quite as efficient on poultry. Many Honesuki knives have an asymmetric grind, so make sure to check the hand orientation before choosing one.

This is a carbon steel knife with a soft stainless steel cladding. Many Japanese knives are constructed with a 3-layer design known as “San Mai,” where a hard, high-quality steel core is sandwiched between two layers of softer steel or iron. In this case, the core is made of carbon steel, while the outer layers, or cladding, are composed of stainless steel. This construction combines the benefits of a carbon steel edge, such as easy sharpening and excellent edge retention, with the added corrosion resistance of stainless steel for the rest of the blade.

Although the cladding offers protection against oxidation, it’s still important to care for the knife properly. Store it clean and dry, avoid air-drying after washing, and never place it in the dishwasher. Additionally, steer clear of cutting very hard materials like frozen food or bones, which can damage the edge.