These knives are often considered a symbol of Japanese craftsmanship and dedication and are highly valued for their elegance and functionality. It is believed that they gained their popularity among a wide audience when the Japanese Emperor Taisho noticed their beauty in 1911 and bought himself a copy.

The blade is made in the Warikomi folding technique which is unique exclusively to the hand forging method. The smith of this knife is Motosuke Nagao whose choice is Aogami #1 steel. This is an extremely hard steel with perfect performance for this type of knife.

The material of the handle of the higonokami knife can vary, with the most popular choices being stainless steel with or without coating or brass.

Only knives with the registered trade mark produced at the Nagao Kanekoma forge are considered genuine Higonokami knives. This protection was necessary due to the large number of copies of second-rate quality.

This knife is made of carbon steel which requires more care during maintenance. In return, you get a longer-lasting blade sharpness.

After use, wash the knife by hand with lukewarm water and dry thoroughly. Before putting the knife away, we recommend coating it with cooking oil to protect the steel.
Store the knife in a safe place where it will not collide with other utensils.

The best way to sharpen Japanese knives is by hand on a stone. Check out our range of sharpening stones.
You use your knife to perform the tasks for which it is intended. Do not use it for other purposes.

***AVOID***
- Washing the knife in the dishwasher.
- Cutting frozen foods.
-Cutting extremely hard foods such as bones, parmesan rinds, rinds...
-Opening jars, cans or bottles.
-Using glass boards or cutting on the work surface.

Read more about knife maintenance on our blog: "Maintenance of Japanese knives".
We also advise you to read our blog about carbon knives: "Carbon knives - Patina".

Traditional knives can only be properly sharpened on a water whetstone. Any other type of sharpening would damage the blade.