Nakagawa White Steel Honyaki K-tip Yanagiba 270mm Mirror Polish

Proterial, which makes Shirogami 3 (白紙3号), lists it for chisels, sickles, axes, planes, gravers, kitchen knives and saws, and describes it as a carbon steel with minimum impurities and middle hardness.

Its page gives the steel 0.80 to 0.90% carbon, and as a carbon steel it can rust, so wash the knife and dry it after use.

White 1, White 2 and White 3 are Proterial's Shirogami 1, Shirogami 2 and Shirogami 3. Proterial lists carbon at 1.25 to 1.35% for Shirogami 1, 1.05 to 1.15% for Shirogami 2 and 0.80 to 0.90% for Shirogami 3, with the same silicon and manganese ranges for all three and no chromium listed.

Proterial describes all three as carbon steel with minimum impurities, at highest, high and middle hardness in that order, and gives a hardening hardness of over 60 HRC for each.

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.