Hatsukokoro | SKU: HT-SHKASDKU-KGY240-BR

Hatsukokoro Shinkiro Aogami Super K-tip Gyuto 240mm Damascus Kurouchi Birch Handle

$670.99 $789.00

IMPORTANT: Carbon steel knives can rust or patina quickly if not cared for properly. They require regular cleaning, drying, and oiling. If you are unfamiliar with carbon steel maintenance, we recommend choosing a stainless steel option instead.

St Peters (Online/Showroom) —
2 Bishop St Unit 2 St Peters NSW 2044
+61 2 8234 8818
Crows Nest (Storefront) —
107 West St, Crows Nest NSW 2065
Pickup only

Detailed Specifications

Line	Hatsukokoro Shinkiro
Profile	K-tip Gyuto / Chefs Knife
Bevel Type	Double Bevel
Weight	260 g \| 9.2 oz
Edge Length	244 mm \| 9 39/64″
Heel Height	54 mm \| 2 1/8″
Width @ Heel	4.4 mm \| 11/64″
Width @ Mid	2.6 mm \| 7/64″
Width @ 1cm from Tip	0.8 mm \| 1/32″
Steel	Blue Super / Aogami Super \| Carbon
Blade Construction	Sanami - Soft Iron Damascus Clad
Hardness (HRC)	62 - 65
Surface Finish	Kurouchi
Handle	Octagonal Birch Burl with Spacer
Region	Hyogo
Best for	Collectors Enthusiasts

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

Shinkiro(蜃気楼) in Japanese means "Mirage", it is made with an Aogami Super steel core, with a beautiful Damascus iron cladding on the bevel and Kurouchi finish on top. This serie of knives delivers a combination of great Kireaji(切れ味, the "Cutting Taste"), good edge retention and artistic look.

For most damascus knives, makers will polish them with various methods to reveal their beauty across the blade, therefore it is uncommon to see a combination of unpolished Kurouchi finish put on top of a damascus cladding, the end result however, is rather stunning. Holding the knife spine down, the Kurouchi finish becomes this rough and earthy ground, where the organic damascus pattern in the cladding boils and tumbles above it, then dissipate into the sky represented by the hightly polished core steel. I believe this is the perfect recreation of the Mirage under the blazing sun, a highly artistic utilization and combination of forging techinques and a materiality.

The creator of these beautiful Knives Takahiro Nihei is a young smith trained under Sanjo's famous Yoshikane Hamono. Just like Yoshikane, his pays a lot of attention to the details of his work. The Shinkiro has a typical thick Sanjo heel, a very fast taper to the tip and super thin behind the edge. It is a great cutter that doesn't carry the price tag of its more premium "Hyomon" siblings. Although the carbon core steel and soft iron damascus cladding may be prone to rust, the Kurouchi finish can protect the blade partially from that issue.

Pros	Cons
Great artistic Excellent performance Highly collectable	Prone to rust High budget

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.
Oil the (carbon) knife if storing for an extended period of time to prevent rust.

Hatsukokoro

Rising star of the industry

Hatsukokoro as a brand works extensively with the Japanese kitchen knife industry. Through collaboration with makers and manufacturers across the Japan, they’ve designed and created a huge collection of different knives, covering every possible price range while having a great value in many of their product lines. Their capabilities to incorporate resources have built a strong relation with knife makers, and more and more are happy to send their knives down to Amagasaki and have them delivered across the world.

“The rapidly expanding new brand in the industry based in Amagasaki, offering great varieties by working close with different makers across entire Japan to the entire globe while innovating in product design and metal fabrication.”

Est. 2019 | 令和元年

Known for Unrivalled product availability, exceptional performance at a highly competitive price.

Website handk.co Instagram @handk_official Read more about Hatsukokoro

Profile

K-tip Gyuto

Chefs Knife

The K-tip Gyuto — known in Japanese as kiritsuke gyuto (切付牛刀) — is a double-bevelled chef's knife that pairs the all-purpose body of a standard gyuto with a kiritsuke-style tip: an angled, clipped "k-tip" point in place of the gyuto's curved belly. Combined with a flatter edge profile, this gives two advantages. The sharply defined tip excels at precise work — scoring, detailing and picking — while the flatter edge is optimised for clean push-cutting and long slicing strokes. It remains a versatile general-purpose knife, but rewards a chef who works with deliberate, tip-led precision.

A note on naming: the K-tip (or "Kiritsuke") Gyuto is a double-bevelled knife and should not be confused with the traditional Kiritsuke (切付け) — a single-bevelled knife that is a genuinely different tool. Many retailers list the two interchangeably; at Knives and Stones we keep them distinct so you know exactly what you're buying.

Compare with

Blue Super / Aogami Super

—

2.25% 1.7% 1.1% 0.6% 0

1.45%

0.4%

2.25%

0.25%

0.15%

0.025%

0.004%

C — Carbon Cr — Chromium V — Vanadium W — Tungsten Mn — Manganese Si — Silicon P — Phosphorus S — Sulfur

Hardness 62–65 HRC

555759616365+

Steel

Blue Super / Aogami Super

Manufacturer
- Hitachi Special Steel, Japan
Nature Carbon
Hardness62–65 HRC

Aogami Super steel, also known as Blue Super Steel, is highly esteemed among Japanese carbon steels for its exceptional qualities. Produced by Hitachi Metals Ltd., this steel surpasses Blue Steel No.1 in its composition, featuring higher amounts of carbon and tungsten, with the addition of vanadium. Aogami Super is celebrated for its remarkable edge sharpness and superior edge retention capabilities. It can achieve high levels of hardness without becoming brittle, a characteristic that sets it apart and endears it to knife enthusiasts worldwide. The steel's enhanced carbon content enables it to maintain sharpness for extended periods, while the added chromium aids in rust resistance. A touch of vanadium increases its toughness, making it less prone to chipping. These attributes make Aogami Super one of the most revered high carbon steels globally, often described as a knife nerd's dream for its balance of hardness, durability, and maintenance ease.

Construction

Sanami - Soft Iron Damascus Clad

Sanmai (Three-Piece) is a common construction for double bevel knives where two pieces of softer cladding steel are forgewelded to each side of a harder core steel. The harder but more brittle core steel will form the hard cutting edge after heat treating, and the softer cladding will support the core to increase the overall strength of the blade.

Damascus Sanmai utilize damascus steel as the cladding material for the Sanmai construction, which adds aesthetic feature to the blade. However, the damascus cladding found on Japanese kitchen knives with carbon steel core are ususally made of soft iron, which means they too need to be maintained to stay pretty.

The soft cladding enables the thinning process to be a lot easier than a honyaki or monosteel construction. However, when the cladding is made of damascus, whether etched, polished or mirror polished, the thinning process will take a toll on the cladding, meaning the damascus won't look the same as when it was taken out of the box.

Finish

Kurouchi

Kurouchi refers to the rustic, unpolished finish found on the blade of many traditional Japanese kitchen knives. This blacksmith's finish is characterized by its dark, textured appearance, which is the result of leaving the blade forge-scale on the steel during production. Kurouchi finish not only adds a unique aesthetic appeal but also provides certain practical benefits. It acts as a protective layer against rust and corrosion, and helps to reduce food sticking to the blade during cutting. Commonly seen on high-quality, hand-forged knives, the kurouchi finish emphasizes the artisanal nature of the knife and its heritage, making each piece distinctively unique.

Handle

Octagonal Birch Burl with Spacer

Profile Octagonal WA
Material
- Birch Burl Stabilized

The stabilized birch burl handle adorning the Hatsukokoro chef knife is a testament to both exquisite craftsmanship and natural beauty. Birch burl, prized for its intricate grain patterns and unique textures, undergoes a meticulous stabilization process to enhance its durability and stability, ensuring longevity and resilience against moisture and wear.

The handle's ergonomic design offers a comfortable and secure grip, allowing for extended periods of use without fatigue. Its smooth contours and balanced weight distribution contribute to precise control and effortless maneuverability during culinary tasks.

The natural variations in color and grain of the birch burl create a visually captivating aesthetic, making each handle distinctively unique. This harmonious blend of functionality and aesthetics not only elevates the chef knife's performance but also adds a touch of elegance to the kitchen, reflecting the unparalleled craftsmanship of Hatsukokoro knives.

Frequently asked questions

Is a K-tip Gyuto the same as a traditional Kiritsuke?

Not quite - and it is the single most common point of confusion when people shop for a kiritsuke. The two knives share the same striking angled, reverse-tanto tip, but underneath that tip they are very different tools.

A K-tip gyuto is a double-bevel knife: it is ground on both sides like any Western-style chef's knife, so it is ambidextrous, forgiving to use, and sharpened exactly the way you would sharpen a normal gyuto. You get the dramatic kiritsuke look with the everyday usability of an all-purpose chef's knife.

A traditional kiritsuke - including the kiritsuke-yanagiba (slicer) and kiritsuke-gyuto shapes - is a single-bevel knife, ground on one side only. It is historically a master chef's knife: it takes real practice to use well, is set up for right-handed users by default, and needs single-bevel sharpening technique to maintain.

So if you want the kiritsuke silhouette with no learning curve, choose a K-tip gyuto. If you specifically want the traditional single-bevel discipline - and the precision it allows on fish and vegetables - choose a true kiritsuke. At Knives and Stones we stock both, and each product page tells you which construction you are looking at.

✓ Verified by Knives and Stones · James Zhang · Reviewed 29 May 2026

Will a carbon steel knife rust, and how do I look after it?

Yes - carbon steels such as Aogami (Blue) and Shirogami (White) react with food, moisture, and acids. Left wet they can spot or rust, and with normal use they develop a grey-blue patina. That patina is expected and is part of owning a carbon-steel knife; it is not damage.

Care is simple once it becomes habit: hand-wash in warm water, never leave the knife soaking or sitting in a wet sink, and dry it thoroughly the moment you finish. Avoid the dishwasher entirely, and wipe the blade between tasks when you are cutting acidic foods like citrus, tomato, or onion.

If the knife will sit unused for a while, wipe a very thin film of food-safe camellia oil (or a neutral mineral oil) onto the blade before storing it. A light surface rust spot lifts easily with a rust eraser or a little Bar Keepers Friend; sustained neglect is the only thing to really avoid.

Carbon steel rewards this small amount of attention with a keener edge and easier sharpening than most stainless. If you would rather not think about maintenance at all, ask us about stainless or stainless-clad options instead.

✓ Verified by Knives and Stones · James Zhang · Reviewed 29 May 2026

	210 mm	240 mm
Weight	189 g	220 g
Tip to Heel Length	222 mm	253 mm
Blade Height at Heel	48 mm	50 mm
Width of Spine Above Heel	3.9 mm	3.9 mm
Width of Spine at Middle of Blade	2.4 mm	2.4 mm
Width of Spine at about 1 cm from tip	1.0 mm	0.8 mm

Hatsukokoro Shinkiro Aogami Super K-tip Gyuto 240mm Damascus Kurouchi Birch Handle

Availability

Detailed Specifications

Hatsukokoro

K-tip Gyuto

Blue Super / Aogami Super Element Composition

Blue Super / Aogami Super

Sanami - Soft Iron Damascus Clad

Kurouchi

Octagonal Birch Burl with Spacer

Frequently asked questions

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Hatsukokoro Shinkiro Aogami Super K-tip Gyuto 240mm Damascus Kurouchi Birch Handle

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Crows Nest

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