Tamahagane Knives are made by the Kataoka factory in Niigata Japan. Choose from 3 of their knife ranges, Bamboo, San and San Tsubame. All three ranges use the same 3 ply material known only to Kataoka. Blocks and sets to compliment the individual knives are also available.
The word Tamahagane means precious steel. Historically, the word Tamahagane has been known as a particular, very pure and high quality steel produced using traditional Japanese techniques. The Kataoka factory in Niigata Japan uses Tamahagane as its brand name and Kataoka specialises in producing very high quality Japanese knives made of 3 ply material.
These knives are all made with a 3 ply stainless steel constuction. The middle layer is VG-5 which forms the edge of the blade. This layer is exceptionally hard (61 HRC), it is as hard as VG-10 stainless steel but has superior edge retention. The two outer layers are made of SUS-410 stainless steel, which is softer and more stain resistant in order to protect the cutting edge. In all the knife blade material is rolled and thinned to a thickness of just 2mm. Tamahagane knives are given a bevelled edge of around 15 degrees, giving an incredibly sharp finish. making exceptional knives that are unsurpassed in sharpness and edge retention.
Tamahagane San and San Tsubame are both made with cylindrical Pakkawood handles. The pakkawood has some antibacterial properties but also retains some of the grain from the wood creating a visually stunning and unique knife handle. These handles evoke the traditional Japanese beech wood handles in their design and are very comfortable to hold. The handles themselves are weighted to be perfectly balanced with the blades. Bamboo knives come with an all stainless steel weighted hollow handle.
San knives are the lead range in the series and contain around 25 different knives, quite a comprehensive range that covers virtually all kitchen tasks. There are multiple different sizes of chef’s knives and different options according to your preference. The top of the line San Tsubame range offers a premium collection of Kataoka’s finest work. Block sets and storage solutions are also available.
All Tamahagane Knives come with a standard 2 year guarantee against manufacturing faults.
