Nakiri translates to "leaf cutter". The specialty of this type of knife is vegetable cutting. Its straight profile and blade height encourage a "push-cut" motion, lifting the blade between each cutting motion. The Nakiri is perfect for slicing cabbage, julienning vegetables or rough-cutting vegetables for soups.
Shirogami #1 by Hitachi steel co translates to white steel #1 and is an improved version of Shirogami #2 as it contains a higher carbon content. It is named after the color of the paper in which it is packaged once produced. It is considered one of the purest steels, after Tamahagane, which allows for a sharper edge than most other steels. However, it will generally be more brittle and can break more easily due to misuse. Mastering the forging of shirogami #1 to exploit its full potential is not simple and requires an expertise that few blacksmiths have. It is in the process of making a Mizu Honyaki type knife that you will find the shirogami #1 in its most difficult to forge version, but also the sharpest.
