This 150 mm petty by Jiro Nakagawa sits in the intermediate range of the Japanese utility knife: compact enough to work in-hand on herbs, small vegetables, or delicate cuts, yet long enough to stay comfortable on the board. The profile tapers toward a fine tip, orienting the knife toward precision tasks where a gyuto would be oversized.
In the countryside of Nagano, Jiro Nakagawa forges, grinds, and polishes each blade entirely by hand on natural stones. The warikomi construction places a Shirogami #1 core within a soft iron cladding, whose contrast with the polished hagane is made visible through the kasumi finish. The octagonal wa-handle in dark wood, fitted with a dark collar, completes the knife without distraction. Each piece is individually numbered with a certificate of authenticity.
At 1.25,1.35% carbon and 63,65 HRC, Shirogami #1 (White Steel #1) is the purest steel in the Yasugi range: no chromium, no tungsten. That purity allows sharpening to a very acute edge, reaching a level of fineness that alloyed steels rarely match. The trade-off is reactivity: the steel responds quickly to moisture and acids, and patina develops on both the hagane and the soft iron cladding. Sharpening requires more passes on the stone than Shirogami #2, but the potential edge refinement is correspondingly higher.
Care
Wipe the blade immediately after each use. Patina developing on the hagane and jigane is normal and expected. Apply camellia oil for any extended storage. Never wash in the dishwasher.
