Samura Kaiju Nakiri Knife 167 mm, with Bolster

The Samura Kaiju nakiri knife is a Japanese-style vegetable knife with a 167 mm blade and a bolster. It is made for the everyday work of chopping and slicing vegetables, and you can use it for fruit too. Its hammered AUS-8 stainless steel blade is paired with a Pakka wood handle.

Blade and steel

The blade is made from a single layer of AUS-8 stainless steel, hardened to 58–59 HRC. At this hardness the edge holds up well to daily vegetable prep, and when it needs attention, it is straightforward to restore on a whetstone. AUS-8 is a stainless, corrosion-resistant steel.

The blade has a hammered finish with the lunar pattern of the Kaiju series, and its small dimples help food come away from the blade as you cut. The polished double-bevel edge is ground on both sides, with an original factory bevel angle of 15–17°, so it is simple to keep in shape with a honing rod and a whetstone.

Handle and balance

The handle is made of Pakka wood in a classic shape. Pakka wood is dense and resists moisture as well as odours. A bolster sits between the blade and the handle. The knife weighs 170 g and measures 303 mm overall.

Best uses

• Chopping vegetables
• Slicing vegetables thinly
• Dicing onions
• Slicing and cutting fruit

Care and sharpening

Rinse the knife with hot water and wipe it dry before first use, then wash it by hand with non-abrasive materials and dry it after each use; a dishwasher is not recommended, and the knife should not be left in the sink for long. Cut on wooden or plastic boards, never on glass, and take care with food that contains bones: use a SAMURA cleaver for meat and bones and a double-sided serrated saw knife for frozen food. Store the knife in a brush block or knife holder where the blade does not touch metal items. Use a honing rod between sharpenings and resharpen on a whetstone at the original factory bevel angle of 15–17°.

About the Kaiju series

The Kaiju series takes its name from the giant monsters of Japanese myth and pairs hammered, lunar-pattern blades with Pakka wood handles in two lines, with and without a bolster; this knife belongs to the bolster line. Like all SAMURA knives, it comes with a 2-year warranty.