Hatsukokoro by Nakagawa Ginsan Single Bevel Mirror Polish

This Ginsan line forged by Satoshi Nakagawa is another commissioned line by Hatsukokoro, having the Hira(平, the flat zone above the bevel) finished with a mirror polish, this line offers some easy-to-look-after Yanagiba and Deba that comes with a bit of shininess, alternatively, you can checkout the Kasumi finished line with same construction and steel.

The entire blade is finished reasonably well, the mirror polishing is very refined and the grinding mark on the bevel and back side are uniform throughout the blade. Rounded choil and spine are there as expected and the only thing I can really say about the finish is the Kissaki of Sakimaru is not sharply defined. Oveall, quite a well done knife at this price.

The use of Ginsan steel makes the Knife even more versatile. While having a slightly better performance than VG10, the less alloy content in it will makes sharpening a whole lot easier, which is a huge plus for single bevel knife in professional setting. Meanwhile, being resistant to rust will save a lot of effort as there is no need to constantly wipe the blade while cutting, that's why I would also recommend this line to sushi students and homecook who have a bit more budget.

Satoshi Nakagawa, the maker who forged this line was the student under the legend bladesmith Kenichi Shiraki for over 20 years, he is very familiar with the behavior of steels especially the Hitachi Metal Paper Steels. This experience have guaranteed the great heat treatment on his knives so if you are looking for a stainless single bevel knife, this line will the more premium offering in terms of the quality.