Yoshimi Kato Nashiji AS honesuki EN

In the last decade Yoshimi Kato has become a world-renowned blacksmith, thanks to his mastery and expertise in forging exceptional kitchen knives. He apprenticed under his father Hiroshi Kato, a pillar of Japanese cutlery. In 2017 he took over the family business when his father retired. Kato-san creates his blades in the knife village of Takefu in Fukui Prefecture.

Blacksmith: Yoshimi Kato
series: Nashiji
steel: Aogami Super
type: honesuki
length: 15.2 cm
blade thickness at heel: 3.4 mm
blade thickness at tip: 0.7 mm
blade height: 4.04 cm
weight: 120 gr

Made entirely by hand, the handle is made from different tinted and stabilized elderberry burls.

This blade is part of the Nashiji series forged with an Aogami Super steel core. This steel with a hardness of 64 +-1 HRC achieves a razor sharp edge, which stays sharp for a very long time and is also super easy to sharpen. It is called SUPER for a reason. The word Nashiji can be literally translated as “pear skin” due to its velvet-like texture.