初心 Aokitae Blue 2 黑打 牛刀 210mm 黑查卡木柄

The Hatsukokoro Aokitae(青鍛, Blue forge) is a seemingly familiar line, this forged lineup falls into that “classy” category, reserved for people who like to discover the most authentic way of building knife in Japan: Sanmai structure, carbon core with iron cladding, hand forged taper and the iconic kurouchi finish.

Speaking of feeling familiar, the Aokitae bears a look that is very close to the Aosagi series - a Sakai-produced blue 2 line with Kurouchi finish. Judging from the rather clean finish and restrained forging texture, this might be the product of Sakai, likely of the same origin as the Aosagi. As the name suggests, the Aokitae is forged, which gives it reduction in spine thickness and weight compared to the non-tapered Aosagi. The weight change on paper may not look big, yet the feeling in hand is quite noticeable. The Aosagi line has a strong tip heavy balance, but as Aokitae has the material removed at its front, the change in balance is significant. For those who may think the Aosagi is too unwieldy but like the build and finish, Aokitae is the new alternative with a more nimble control.

Despite the change in spine thickness, this line retains a well executed sharpening. There is almost no visible secondary bevel, which means the thickness of the primary bevel is reduced to nearly nothing, an experienced knife nerd would know without touching, this knife would have excellent entry upon any food. This paired with the now thinner blade and mild convex, offering less cutting resistance and decent food release.

If there is a downside to be talked about with this blade, it would be the traditional construction using soft iron as the cladding for the Blue 2 steel core. As the iron is easier to work with for blacksmiths, costs less and develops a beautiful Kurouchi more easily than stainless cladding, they are commonly chosen for forged products with a raw finish. But as both the core and cladding don’t have enough chromium content to resist oxidation, this type of knife demands a high level of attention to not corrode in usage.

Although attention-demanding, the Aokitae have positioned itself well in the sub-200 AUD price range. It can either be an interesting toy for carbon steel lovers and polishing enthusiasts, or a classic-look and good-performing blade for people who want to attempt carbon steel for the first time.