170mm Hatsukokoro Sentan Aogami Chinese Cleaver

H & K’s is a knife manufacturer and wholesaler near Osaka, their house brand is called Hatsukokoro. The brand is supplied by a handful of manufacturers from different notable knifemaking regions such as Seki, Tosa and Sanjo. 

Location: China

Line: Sentan

Construction: Mono-steel

Edge Steel: Aogami #2(Blue #2) HRC~63

Cladding: Iron

Finish: Kurouchi

Edge Grind: 50/50 (Double Bevel)

Handle: Round Magnolia

Weight: ~362g

Blade Length: ~170mm

Overall Length: ~295mm

Thickness at Heel: ~3.9mm

Blade Height: ~94.3mm

The best sharpening tools for Japanese knives are leather strops and fine whetstones.

Japanese chef knives are brittle and are designed for cutting soft tissue foods. High Carbon steel chef knives can rust if not kept dry.