Latest Daisuke Nishida White #1 Santoku kurouchi

First Impressions

White #1 steel is known for its ability to achieve an incredibly fine edge, it’s the steel of choice for sushi knives and out of the box, these are impressively sharp and will hold that edge well.

Beauty

There is a raw beauty about these knives, you can really tell that they’ve been created with a great deal of pride and skill.

They’re made entirely by hand although across the range the consistency of the finishing is good but be prepared to see the occasional scuff or impefection.

In Hand

The knives across this range do have a noticeable weight to them when using them and so they’ve got a reassuring feel in hand.

It’s worth noting that the fit of the black ferrule on the handle isn’t snug with the handle which some aren’t a fan of but it simply reflects the choice of Nishida san preferring to spend more time and effort on the blade and pairing it with a relatively cheap handle.

Durability

White #1 takes and retains an edge very well and this range is forged in a traditional style which adds some weight and thickness to the blade and so while it’s not a heavy duty knife, it’s got a reassuring feel in hand and the 62-63HRC of the steel will certainly keep performance levels high for a long time.

Ease of Care

This is a fullyreactive steel on both the cutting edge and in thecladding so will develop a patina all over the blade as you use it but it’s still fairly easy to care for as long as you follow the normal rules – no dishwashers, rinse and dry after use and enjoy the patina as it develops.

Our Verdict

As a full carbon knife made completely from scratch rather than utilising pressed steel you get a blade that takes and retains an edge very well and overall a nice knife for your money.

Nishida san makes all his blades by hand in small batches in his workshop and it’s not unusual to see lead times of 9-12 months for his knives so if one is on your wishlist we’d definitely say grab one while they’re in stock. If this range is out of stock, you might want to check out the knives from his former apprentice Yukihiro Sakai who makes them in the same way.

The only thing we’d perhaps consider is replacing the handle over time for one that closer matches the quality of the steel but the cheaper traditional style cherry wood handle allows for Nishida san to focus all his efforts on the blade which is exactly how it should be.