Hatsukokoro | SKU: HT-HIRARI-NK165-BC

Hatsukokoro Hikari SLD Nakiri 165mm Black Chacate

Name: Hatsukokoro Hikari SLD Nakiri 165mm Black Chacate
Brand: Hatsukokoro
SKU: HT-HIRARI-NK165-BC
Price: 189.95 AUD
Availability: InStock

$189.95

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St Peters, NSW —
2 Bishop St, Unit 2, St Peters NSW 2044
+61 2 8234 8818
Crows Nest, NSW —
107 West St, Shop 1, Crows Nest NSW 2065
+61 2 8234 8848
Pickup only
Prahran, VIC —
180 Commercial Road, Shop 1, Prahran VIC 3181
+61 3 8199 9948
Pickup only

Detailed Specifications

Line	Hatsukokoro Hikari SLD Mirror
Profile	Nakiri / Japanese vegetable knife
Bevel Type	Double Bevel
Weight	150 g \| 5.3 oz
Edge Length	160 mm \| 6 19/64″
Heel Height	50 mm \| 1 31/32″
Width @ Heel	1.8 mm \| 5/64″
Width @ Mid	1.8 mm \| 5/64″
Width @ 1cm from Tip	1.8 mm \| 5/64″
Steel	SLD \| Semi-stainless
Blade Construction	Sanmai - Stainless Clad
Hardness (HRC)	62 - 64
Surface Finish	Mirror Polish
Handle	Octagonal Black Chacate
Region	Hyogo
Best for	Students First-timers

Free shipping for knives over AU$200 Australia wide.
World-wide shipping via DHL Express, 3 to 5 days.

The Hikari(光, Light) is certainly a interesting addition to our collection, it combines a rather unique finish with an uncommon steel, resulting a unique and characterful line at a very friendly price point. Like the name suggests, there are some shining spots that you will discover when you pick it up.

The eye catching feature of this line must be the finish, it is a simple mirror polish with a slight twist. What Hatsukokoro did seems to be a combination of buffing and sandblasting, as the finish they produced on these knives is both reflective but hazy. The haziness is not particularly strong like a kasumi finish, but as you turn the knife against light, the texture left by the sandblasting will reflect light in a way that makes the blade looks glitter-coated. It's not exciting like a Tsuchime or Damascus, but it is certainly an alternative option to the Migaki finish that are very common at this price point.

The choice of steel is rather interesting, the SLD steel is technically a semi-stainless steel as its chromium level is just on the line of making it fully stainless(13%). This allows it to be quite low maintenance as the steel doesn't form any patina and react very slowly. At the same time, many user of this steel reports that it can take a more keen edge than typical stainless steel. SLD's high alloy level ensures a high level of wear resistance and it's often used on many high end handcrafted knives. Now that we have this steel available on a knife at an entry-level price, this unique experience offered by this material is much more affordable.

The grinding/blade geometry is slightly convex but not super thin behind edge, which can lead to some wedging and resistance but it does excel at food release. It is a logical solution in my opinion, as the smooth mirror finish will cause strong sticking if the there is no strong geometry to encourage the food peeling off. It is not one of those silky smooth cutting knife but more of a workhorse, the keen edge does feel more towards carbon steel than typical stainless as it initiate the cut fairly quickly on the surface of the food.

Hatsukokoro have always been developing new or improving their existing knives at the budget range, and it seems they have been focusing on optimising the performance of their product and bringing interesting features to the market. Hikari is definitely a result of this effort, it will join the wide range of available knife we can offer and allow more selections at the budget end.

Pros	Cons
Great artistic Budget friendly Workhorse grind	On the thicker side

Care Instruction

Don't cut hard things! Japanese knives are brittle so bone hacking is a NO NO!
Wash with neutral detergent after use, and wipe dry;
Please don't wash knife with dishwasher, it will damage the wood handle;
Be careful not to leave the knife close to a heat source for a long time;
It is a lot more dangerous to cut with a blunt knife than a sharp knife!
It is best to sharpen a Japanese knife regularly on a waterstone.
Semi-stainless steel won't rust easily but may still patina

Hatsukokoro

Hatsukokoro, a knife brand from Amagasaki

Hatsukokoro (初心) is a knife brand from Amagasaki, Hyogo, launched in 2019. It is a brand rather than a forge: it works with knife makers instead of forging itself.

The name comes from the proverb 初心忘るべからず, roughly never forget your beginner's mind. For the same characters the brand chose the gentler reading hatsukokoro over shoshin.

The brand's own catalogue names the place behind some of its lines, and the maker behind a few: Shinkiro comes from Fukushima, and Hayabusa HAP40, Saihyo and Sunaarashi from Seki City, while for others the maker or the place stays private. Some of our listing titles also carry the maker alongside the brand, such as Hatsukokoro x Yoshikane and the Hatsukokoro x Yoshihiro Yauji collaboration.

The Hatsukokoro lines we list include both carbon and stainless steels. Our listings include Hayabusa in SG2 and Aogami Super, Saihyo in SG2 and Ginrei in Ginsan. Carbon steel kurouchi lines include Aosagi, Aokitae, Kurokaze and Kurogane.

“A knife brand from Amagasaki that works with knife makers rather than forging.”

Est. 2019 | 令和元年

Known for Lines made with partner makers, from Seki City to Fukushima

Website handk.co Instagram @handk_official Read more about Hatsukokoro

Knife details

Profile

Nakiri

菜切

Japanese vegetable knife · Double bevel

Thin, wide vegetable knife with no point; Tojiro says its straight edge sits flat on the board.

SLD

SLD鋼

Semi-stainless · Hitachi Metals (now Proterial)

Proterial semi-stainless near D2: 1.5% carbon, 12% chromium, over 58 HRC. Good edge life.

Construction

Sanmai - Stainless Clad

三枚

3 layers · stainless clad

Hard core between two stainless layers, bare only at the edge; the cladding resists rust.

Finish

Mirror Polish

Mirror polish

Polished to a true mirror that shows hamon or damascus clearly. Every scratch shows.

Handle

Octagonal Black Chacate

Octagonal WA

Black chacate, a dense dark African wood near ebony, eight-sided; may show pale sapwood.

Frequently asked questions

Why won't my knife cut all the way through? The slices stay joined at the bottom.

Part of the edge never reaches the board, so the cut never finishes. At our counter we put it simply: there is not enough flat at the heel. A knife with a long curve is built for rock chopping, not for the Chinese or Eastern up-and-down chop.

A straight edge, like a nakiri's, meets the board along its whole length and finishes the cut. On any knife, a dip worn near the heel or a dull section can cause the same thing.

Nakiri or usuba: what is the difference?

The bevel. A Japanese dictionary describes the nakiri (菜切包丁) as shaped like an usuba but double-bevel and relatively easy to handle; the Sakai cutlery association describes the usuba (薄刃包丁) as an acute, wide knife for vegetables, in a square Kanto type and a kamagata Kansai type.

The names overlap, since another dictionary records the usuba as also called nakiri, so check the bevel rather than the name.

Is SLD the same steel as SKD11 and D2?

Close. Proterial, which makes SLD, lists AISI D2, DIN X153CrMoV12 and JIS SKD11 as its equivalent standards, while its own typical figures include 12% chromium and 1.5% carbon.

Proterial makes SLD as a cold work die steel with high abrasion resistance, for uses such as cold press dies, shear blades and gauges.

Is Hatsukokoro a maker or a brand, and who makes the knives?

Hatsukokoro (初心) is a brand, not a forge. H&K, a company founded in 2013 and based in Amagasaki, Hyogo, created it in 2019.

H&K names the producer for some lines, for example Shinkiro by Takahiro Nihei in Fukushima, Ginyou by Yoshihiro Yauji in Echizen and Kurosagi by Motokyuichi Hamono in Nagasaki, and keeps others confidential. Some knives we stock carry the maker in the title, such as Hatsukokoro x Yoshikane SKD Nashiji.

What does the name Hatsukokoro mean?

The name comes from the Japanese proverb 初心忘るべからず, which means don't forget your original intention. The company read it gently as hatsukokoro rather than shoshin.

H&K created the brand in 2019, six years after the company was founded, and chose the name for its knife line.

Which Hatsukokoro line should I pick, carbon or stainless?

Pick by how much care you want to give. The carbon lines, Blue 1, Blue 2 and AS kurouchi, need drying and a little oil after use. The SG2, HAP40, Ginsan and VG10 lines are low maintenance, so they suit a busy kitchen or someone who just wants to cook.

Neither is better; it depends on your routine. If you will dry and oil the blade after each use, a carbon line can suit you, and if you want the least fuss, a stainless line is the easier choice.

Written by Knives & Stones

Hatsukokoro Hikari SLD Nakiri 165mm Black Chacate

Availability

Detailed Specifications

Hatsukokoro

Knife details

Nakiri

SLD

Sanmai - Stainless Clad

Mirror Polish

Octagonal Black Chacate

Frequently asked questions

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Hatsukokoro Hikari SLD Nakiri 165mm Black Chacate

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