Nigara Anmon Damascus santoku EN

There is something that sets Nigara Hamono apart from other knifemaking families in Japan. First, it could be pointed out that it is the 350 years of history, starting with making swords for the Tsugaru clan in the early Edo period. The passing down of know-how and skills for eight generations has undoubtedly given Nigara knives their cultural DNA, but the long history is not unique to Nigara.

It could be said that having a legendary fifth-generation swordsmith – Japan’s national treasure, Mr. Kunitoshi Nigara (二唐國俊) – gives the family brand an elevated status. The best way to understand why Nigara stands out in the eyes of the current (8th) generation swordsmith – Mr. Tsuyoshi Yoshizawa (吉澤剛). As he stands in the workshop of the family business, with his younger brother and two young craftsmen, feeling inspired to create the most remarkable knives in the world.

The Nigara family has expanded since the days of sword forging – into construction steelworks, steel beam technologies, as well as restorations of historical metal structures. In a word, Nigara is the guru of steel.

Brand: Nigara Hamono
Blacksmith: Tsuyoshi Yoshizawa
Series: Anmon Damascus
Steel: SG2
Hardness: 63-64 HRC
Type: santoku
Blade length: 16.8 cm
Heel height: 5.02 cm
Heel thickness: 2.2 mm
Tip thickness: 0.5 mm
Weight: 158 gr

The handle is made from dyed and stabilized boxelder burl, with black onyx stone spacers and blond buffalo horn ferrule and bottom cap.

Nigara Hamono has many very identifiable knife lines. From the swirling pattern of the Anmon Kurozome to the highly sought after Troll Killers, not to mention their migaki and kurouchi lines. What makes this line so recognizable is their damascened steel pattern, the Anmon damascened pattern is a variation of the “rain drop” pattern, it is inspired by the famous Anmon waterfalls in Japan. What makes this a solid choice of knife to buy is this powdered steel known as SG2. Unmatched sharpness in a stainless steel.