This White 1 Damascus line is a classic design that Kawamura have employed for many years, forged by Yoshikazu Tanaka, one of the most renowned blacksmiths in Sakai that excels in both single and double bevel forging. These blades are built with exceptional quality that you would expect from Sakai, on top of that, the master behind these amazing creations may soon retire, giving some collecting value to these knives.
The beautiful Damascus cladding gives the knife a striking appearance at first glance, it flows organically from the spine to the edge, and the even cladding lines that end up very close to the edge just shows the level of control Tanaka san has over the steel in the forge welding process. The sharpener is not disclosed by Kawamura, but it is executed at an equally high level, the blade has a thin, flat bevel that gradually torn into a convex that converge at a relatively low thickness behind the edge, give the knife a great performance when paired with the aggressive edge produced by the White 1 steel.
There is a clear line that divides the surface of the knife into two parts, forming a Hira with a darker grey finish and the bevel with brighter finish that has more contrast. This appears to be a Wide Bevel design that is not often used by Sakai makers, but once you have your hands on the blade, you will realize that this line is achieved by different finishing techniques. The blade doesn’t have a clear geometrical corner at the Shinogi line, instead, a different sandblasting treatment is applied with a mask. It wouldn’t affect the performance but it is an interesting design element that does make the knife more interesting to look at.
The Gyuto of this line uses a Sakai profile, which has a spine that drops down gradually and a cutting edge that rises up in a pronounced curve at the tip. This is a profile that has less focus on the slicing but is pretty good at rocking cut, paired with the generous heel height, it can chop and mince smoothly through all kinds of material.
This line is perfectly capable as a working tool, but due to the upcoming retirement of master Yoshikazu Tanaka, it may be chased by collectors who want a piece of work from the blacksmith. It is the type of the knife that characterises Sakai’s knifemaking: elegant and refined like a piece of art while highly functional and great in performance. For anyone who steps up into the more bespoke knife game, this should be one of the items on your wishlist.
By
Kawamura Hamono
