Jikko Tokusei Japanese Usuba Knife 16.5cm Nihon Steel Blade, Magnolia Wood Handle

Straight from Japan to your kitchen: the Jikko Japanese knives are a great representation of Japanese cutlery’s great quality! With more than 100 years of history, Jikko is a brand highly appreciated by Japanese professional cooks because of their superb cutting performance and dazzling designs. What makes this brand so unique is that it is one of the few brands nowadays that offers truly handcrafted knives made by experienced artisans in Japan.

The usuba knife shown in this page belongs to the Tokusei series, which is one of Jikko’s knife ranges with the best price/quality ratio. This type of knife is one of the most common types of kitchen knives in Japanese cuisine. It is perfect for cutting all types of vegetables, and its unilateral edge let’s you do it with remarkable precision.

With core made of Nihon steel, the blade of this knife has a hardness rating of 59/60 HRC in the Rockwell scale. This is in great part explained by the high carbon content present in the steel, which contributes to the strength and rigidity of the blade. Surrounding the hard core, there is a layer of soft iron that is visible on the blade’s surface due the difference in colour between the steels.

Unlike most kitchen knives made nowadays, the blade was sharpened by hand by an artisan with an extensive expertise in the art of sharpening. The process involves the use of different sharpening stones of different grains. It starts with a thick, coarse grain, and finishes with a stone with fine grains 3000. The smooth transition from coarse to fine grains allows the blade to have an excellent sharp finish.

Furthermore, the blade’s surface has been engraved by the artisan to show the brand’s logo in Japanese. The engraving is directly made by hand using a punch and a small hammer, and because it is truly engraved in the steel and not just stamped, the logo will never fade away! 

The handle is made of Magnolia wood, which is a material that is hard and naturally antibacterial. The surface has been polished so that you can enjoy a soft, smooth grip. The logo of the brand is also engraved on the handle, but in this case, hot iron was used to make the engraving. Finally, to connect the blade with the handle, the knife has a black bolster made of polycarbonate.

When you get a knife as special as this one, you must give proper maintainance to your knife to guarantee the durability of its look and cutting performance. Because the blade is made of carbon steel, it should always be washed by hand using non-agressive products and dry it immediately with a soft cloth.

Do not hesitate to have a look at all the other Japanese knives from JIKKO available on our website and discover the beauty of handcrafted quality!