The Nigara SG2 Matt Migaki Kurouchi Tsuchime line is the twin sister of the non-Kurouchi finished line produced by Nigara. Their shared, optimised production procedures allow them to be offered at a very competitive price without sacrificing much performance. These blades are for those who are looking for a more durable powder stainless steel edge, but also like the rustic look of the Kurouchi. As far as I know, this isn’t a common combination on the market, not to say that Nigara offer a whole series of different sizes and profiles in this line.

Being the most commonly used powder stainless steel in the Japanese kitchen knife industry, the SG2/R2 holds its place steadily with a good combination of toughness, edge retention and corrosion resistance. However, to get you hands onto this steel would be bit costly. Tojiro offers a series of SG2 knives from their budget DP series, Hatsukokoro also have a SG2 member in their Hayabusa family that comes at even lower price. However, the hand-grind bevel by Nigara’s skilful sharpener offers their knives a much more optimised geometry, beating Tojiro and Hatsukokoro with a better overall cutting performance while costing only a slightly more.

The fit and finish is consistent as usual for these Nigara blades. Good surface consistency, straightness and sharpening. The Kurouchi gives a completely different look to its twin sister line, making these knives a bit more popular choice for gifting. I have to be honest, this layer of black finish seems to be painted on instead of formed during the heating of the blade, but it is understandable as the stainless cladding doesn’t require the corrosion resistance of this oxidation layer, and is seems to be hard to form a dark Kurouchi finish on surface of the high alloy stainless steel.

Overall, Nigeria’s SG2 Matt Migaki lines are successful blades that excel in performance at their price bracket, the addition of the Kurouchi finish allows even more characterful selections for buyers and indeed we found many customers of us favour this more rustic look. We recommend this line to those whole want to upgrade their steel from the more entry level steels like VG10/AUS10, and to beginners who have a bit more budget as the sturdiness of the thicker bevel can help with reducing the chance of chipping.