The Best Damascus Knives You've Never Heard of - Go Yoshizawa of Nigara Hamono
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- Опубліковано 9 кві 2023
- This week, Mike and Naoto are recounting their trip to Nigara Hamono, where they met head blacksmith Go Yoshizawa-san and got to see his incredible forging skills up close. Yoshizawa-san is at the forefront of his field of pattern-welded hand-forged Japanese kitchen knives and is blazing a trail for his highly skilled apprentices.
Check out Nigara Hamono knives here:
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And see what crazy patterns Yoshizawa-san himself is making here:
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Nigara Hamono might just be the Yoshikane Hamono of their prefecture. Truly inspiring.
Great video, thank you!
Go Yoshizawa is a true Damascus wizard! And I love the fact that he has a clear vision and ambition to make the Nigara brand and production in the future of the Hirosaki area grow. I can't wait to see what he and his apprentices and their apprentices will come up with in the near and far future.
I'm the proud owner of an Onigoroshi 240mm Gyuto (Troll Killer), Anmon Damascus 250mm Gyuto Kiritsuke SG2, Anmon blue#2 Deba & Usuba and am saving up for an incredible Sakimaru Yanagiba Honyaki! So yeah, I'm a Nigara Fan Boy for sure!
Love the video! I now have 3 of the Nigara Tsuchime knives because I just think the blades are SO beautiful! Especially as the patina starts to form. Just pure artwork. But not just that, it's the feel of the knife and performance. I have a good collection of Japanese knives and these are definitely my favorites from my collection.
These series are my favorite, I enjoy learning about the makers as much as I enjoy using their knives. Its awesome to see the faces behind IMO the best finishes ive seen on any knives.
I'm happy to hear that!
Ya, I recently watched one on Takeshi Saji. I was amazed! I found another knife maker I want to add to my collection. His stuff is so nice that it's rivaling Yu Kurosaki for me on my potential gyuto slot.
I'm getting quite comfy with my 8" miyabi chef knife and am positioning towards a bigger knife. I want to get a cheap one to make sure I'm cool with spending the big bucks. Mercer millenia 10" for 30 bucks! It's my go-to "training wheels/beater knife"
I just got a Nigara tsuchime kiritsuke tip nakiri and am in love. I went with a western handle option in green turquoise. It's a stunner and melts in the hand. I literally haven't used it yet (came in yesterday). I named it Aomigame (green sea turtle) as it reminds me of the ocean and eats vegetables.
Please don't tell me sea turtles are carnivores...😂
They are definitely making some impressive blades
Glad to see Nigara getting recognition! My first knife from Knifewear was Nigara SG2 Damascus 210 mm kiritsuke, and never regretted. It had the "it" factor. The damascus pattern is mesmorizing. The fit and finish is impeccable. It cuts as amazingly as it looks. Kudos to Go Yoshizawa-san. I truly believe that he goes to bed every night dreaming about damascus.
Hey, glad to hear it, that's a great knife!
Fascinating behind the scenes shots. I have a Nigara Hamono AS Petty 150mm and it's a joy to use
That's an awesome blade!
@@KnifewearKnives yeah!
In a couple decades we'll be gushing over the Hirosaki Knife Village.
I sure hope so!
I just got my 1st Nigara knife. Its such a beauty i named it. Aomigame (green sea turtle). It has a green turquoise handle and is a vegetable eating nakiri.
I shed a tear when Nigara thanked me for my purchase after i had just appreciated its beauty in near astoundment.
I am in love with this hexagonal tsuchime finish. It has an industrial feel in an artistic way. True yin and yang stuff there.
One day maybe ill afford their damascus. The troll killer isnt for me, but i apreciate the use of different stuff.
I'm glad you love it so much!
Hey, guys! Just to confirm.. Tsuyoshi Yoshizawa (8th gen head blacksmith and son of Mr. Toshihisa) is the same person as Go Yoshizawa, correct?
Are all Nigara’s knives hand forged, or just some of their high end ones? Also, which ones are made by Yoshizawa-San? Thanks!
Hey! The higher end Damascus blades are made by him. The more affordable lines are forged using a technique called roll forging, which gives many of the se benefits to the steel as forging with a springhammer, but if faster, more cost effective, and extremely consistent!
@@KnifewearKnives how about the sg2 raindrop damascus? Is forged by yoshizawa san or roll-forged too?
thoughts on Nigara's vg10? found a 210mm gyuto for $170 but but that budget, should I go with a different maker?
They're amazing, we have some coming in for Nov 6! I would definitely go that route, they're amazing.
So nigara knives can be more delicate than others. I wouldn't recommend one as someone's 1st Japanese knife.
This is because Nigara sits at what I consider a true hot rod category. They do a hollow/concave grind on their blades. Some sellers will offer additional warnings for these knives.
That being said if you have a Japanese knife and know how to treat it. Nigara Knives are stunners in just about every way. From the forging to the honing, the quality is there to see and to feel. From the handle to the cutting edge.
170 for a VG10 blade treated in this fashion is well worth the investment.
I received my 1st Nigara last night and am over the moon! I went for the SG2 tsuchime migaki kiritsuke nakiri with custom western grip in green turquoise. I'm in love with the hexagonal tsuchime finish, so structural (I'm in construction).
Personal tastes.
1) SG2 stainless. I prefer the hardness and added durability vs VG10. Waiting for CPM magnacut. I'm a stainless fanboy...
2) western grip. So many reasons. I prefer the balance, it makes the tip feel more nimble to me. And a full tang is a sticking point for me. It's about longevity. The same goes for stabilized materials. This is why people like pakka wood.
Did those VG10 Polished Damascus ever hit the store?
We might get some in our November or May Garage Sales!
So far my favorite looking knife in the collection is their nakiri sg2 Damascus. But this is also the worst performer at out the 10
Oh no! If you need help getting it to perform better, shoot us an email at hello @ knifewear.com and we might be able to help!
I think it might be the best performing nakiri in the nakiri market. This thing's a modern gender bender putting that K-tip on there to make the nakiri infinitely more useful than previous models that might require any sort of tip work.
So much so that I ordered an SG2 tsuchime finish model with a custom western grip to battle it out with my santoku for veg work.
Their damascus is beautiful.. just not really a fan of their gyuto profile.