The Shiro Kamo Keyaki Nakiri 165mm is the ideal kitchen knife for slicing and dicing most every fruit and vegetable in your kitchen, from apples to zucchini. The nakiri blade shape is extremely practical, too. With its blunt tip, it is safer to use in the kitchen. Due to its straight blade, edge, and spine, the nakiri is not rocked like a chef's knife. Instead, use a push cut by moving the knife down and forward while keeping the edge parallel to the cutting surface. Handcrafted and forged by Japanese blacksmith, Shiro Kamo, this knife has a Aogami #2 steel core with a superior hardness rating (63-64 HRC) that is easy to resharpen. The cutting core steel is sandwiched between layers of iron (total of 3 layers) and finished with a black Kurouchi finish.  Kurouchi is a traditional steel finish often used by blacksmiths which translates into "Black Forge". The finish is an unpolished layer of the steel during the heat treatment that gives the knife a very characterful, rustic aesthetic. These Kamo knives feature an octagonal Pakkawood and Keyaki handle. Keyaki, meaning wood from the Zelkova tree, is highly prized in Japan for its beautiful grain and versatility. Each knife by Shiro Kamo is finished with a traditional engraving, making these knives an authentic piece of Japanese culture. Caring for your handmade knife: Due to the nature of handcrafting and traditional blacksmithing, each knife is unique and may have some cosmetic distortion or irregularities. This is expected and normal. Because these knives are handcrafted, they do not qualify for warranty services.