JKC Aogami
Japanese Knife Company, scour the length and breadth of Japan in our eternal quest for the ultimate culinary blade. We regularly add new selections as well as update, improve and extend existing ranges. Knife aficionados acknowledge Aogami No. 1 to be one of the best steels to create an enduringly keen cutting edge. Ultra-High Carbon, Tungsten toughened traditional steel alloyed using pure iron only possible with Iron Sand as a base is used to achieve the rare and valuable Aogami No. 1 Steel. Prized for its virtually unparalleled edge retention capacity along with great potential for easy re-honing, whilst not stainless it is considerably LESS prone to rusting than blades of equal carbon content. Using the ancient warikome system of sandwiching a central core between two layers of softer steel imbues the silky edge with even greater strength.
Aogami No 1 edges outlast the celebrated Shirogami whilst being less prone to staining and equally easy to re-hone. The limited supply due to the various delicate and specialist processes required to produce it (along with high demand) has to lead to this very special material being reserved for only the most skilled Nokaji and thus it is rarely applied to the creation of accessible culinary blades. For these reasons, blades made from Aogami No 1 are amongst the most prized and this is usually reflected in the price demanded of these ‘Uber’ knives.
In collaboration with Hitachi Special Steels and a small artisan workshop willing to set new standards and make available knives that have been the preserve of only the passionate, Japanese Knife Company is proud to make available a collection of warikome – triple-layer – blades using Aogami No.1 as the core at a more accessible price.
Aogami (aogami literally translates as blue steel, just as ‘shirogami’ means white steel this refers to an old paper wrapping classification system, not the colour of steel) with its very high Carbon content requires the addition of toughening elements to counteract brittleness and slow oxidisation – Tungsten and Chromium are 2 such elements. Taking into account their positive and negative influences – the exact amount of each is used to create a material that is hard, tough and slow to oxidise. In order to make resharpening easier this very hard & tough steel is sandwiched between two layers of soft steel that both protect and aid easy grinding. The result is an edge capable of enduring razor sharpness which is easy to maintain.
With the raw material, the maker and design in place JKC commissioned a variety of different shapes – the result is our Aogami Collection. A handmade collection of even density blades that fulfil a whole gamut of requirements. With attention paid to ergonomics, ease of use and aesthetics the resulting collection fulfils the needs of even the most demanding professional user.
It should be noted that these are totally handmade knives using Bubinga wood for the sleek, seamless handles and as such the colour and tone does vary from piece to piece.
JKC Aogami Gyuto
Fully Handmade
Aogami No. 2 Steel
Core Material Oxidizes
3 Layers Blade
Hardness 62 HRC + /- 1
Made in Japan
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JKC Aogami Paring/Utility 125mm
JKC Aogami Santoku 170mm
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JKC Aogami Sujihiki 240mm
JKC Aogami Azumagata 150mm
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