Nakagawa Ginsan Usuba 180/210mm Mirror Polished with K&S Ebony Handle

An usuba (薄刃包丁) is for vegetables, and a knife maker's guide to Japanese knife shapes puts almost all vegetable preparation on this one blade.

The heel (刃元) peels and hollows out, while the middle of the edge does katsuramuki, fine garnish work, chopping and rounding off the cut edges of vegetables (面取). A Japanese dictionary describes the blade as single-bevel and rectangular, with spine and edge parallel and the same width at the heel and the tip.

Ginsan, also known as Silver 3, is a stainless steel from Proterial, the Yasugi Specialty Steel division. Proterial describes it as a stainless steel which has hardness and sharpness comparable to carbon steel, and lists its uses as kitchen knives and scissors.

Knife makers use it when they want the corrosion resistance of a stainless together with the hardness and sharpness that Proterial compares to carbon steel. The steel maker lists 59 HRC or over after hardening, but that is a heat treatment figure, not a finished knife figure.

Dry it after use, like any stainless knife. Its performance depends on the heat treatment and construction of the specific knife, not the steel name alone.

Yes. Proterial lists the steel as GIN 3 with 13.00 to 14.50% chromium, above the Japan Stainless Steel Association's 10.5% minimum for stainless steel.

Proterial describes it as a stainless steel with hardness and sharpness comparable to carbon steel, used in various kitchen knives and scissors, and the association notes that stainless, strictly, means it rusts less. Wash the knife and dry it after use.

The Hatsukokoro by Nakagawa Ginsan Single Bevel Mirror Polish line consists of Yanagiba and Deba knives forged by Satoshi Nakagawa using Ginsan steel with a flat zone (Hira) finished in a refined mirror polish, designed primarily for professional chefs and serious enthusiasts who prioritize aesthetics alongside function.

These knives are built for those willing to manage a high-budget tool where the mirror finish offers a sharp, uniform look but requires more care to maintain than a standard Kasumi finish. While the entire blade features consistent grinding marks, a rounded choil and spine, and the same construction as the Kasumi line, the mirror polish itself can be difficult to keep pristine, making it a trade-off between visual appeal and ease of maintenance.

Yes. We know from our own dealings with him that Satoshi Nakagawa forges commissioned lines for the Hatsukokoro brand, and our product titles name them Hatsukokoro by Nakagawa and Hatsukokoro x Nakagawa. He works from his own company in Sakai, Nakagawa Uchihamono.

He trained for sixteen years under Kenichi Shiraki as his only disciple and successor. His company says he works in White 3 to White 1, Blue 2 to Blue 1, stainless Ginsan, VG10 and honyaki.

Pick by how much care you want to give. Ginsan is stainless, while Blue 1 and Blue 2 are not: Proterial lists their chromium at 0.50% or less, well under the 10.5% the Japan Stainless Steel Association sets for stainless.

If you will dry and oil the blade after each use, a Blue 1 or Blue 2 line can suit you; if you want less upkeep, we suggest Ginsan.