Tosa Kurouchi Inasa Bocho 165mm Japanese kitchen knife

As you know, Japanese knife culture is not homogeneous throughout its territory. The strong fragmentation of the island state gives rise to rather bizarre and sometimes completely different forms of blades in certain regions of Japan. Knife Kurouchi Inasa Bocho TOSA 165mm (Inasa Bocho) looks bright and very original, but, for example, for the prefectures of the southern island of Kyushu, the version of the Bunka Bocho knife (home kitchen knife with a triangular edge) with a curved butt is an integral knife style in everyday life and part of any good home cooking.

The presented blade Kurouchi Inasa Bocho TOSA 165mm is made a little north of the region where it is so widely popular on the island of Shikoku in the Tosa region, but it was in Tosa that all the various styles of Japanese blades and the secrets of their manufacture were intertwined at the Knife Masters Festival.

The knives of the Tosa masters have long been famous for their very high quality and reliability and need no introduction. The region where these knives are produced is located on one of the southern islands of Japan (Shikoku Island) and is widely known for festivals of knifemakers and manufacturers of a wide variety of cutting tools. The interest of professionals in various industries using knives, collectors, as well as just lovers of this subject is caused by both the high skill of manufacturers and excellent product quality, and the fact that due to the high competition of blacksmiths in this region, it is possible to purchase exclusive samples of knives made from the best grades of steel ( such as, for example, Super Aogami) for a relatively low price. Moreover, Tosa sells both ready-to-use products and blades separately (knife manufacturers in Japan, as a rule, are extremely reluctant to do this), and the handle can be made at your discretion, it can be very convenient. The presented knives are made by the Tadayoshi forging company under the guidance of master craftsman Tadayoshi Saku.

Blade Kurouchi Inasa Bocho TOSA 165mm from Tosa Tadayoshi forging company is an exceptionally bright, unusual, but at the same time beautiful and ergonomic handmade Japanese forged knife. It is impossible to take your eyes off him. Inasa Bocho not only pleases the eye with its shapes, but also certainly claims the widest functionality and ease of use in the kitchen.

The blade Kurouchi Inasa Bocho TOSA 165mm is three-layered and, which is important for a Japanese kitchen worker, it has double-sided sharpening. The central, extremely thin and strong layer, hardened to a hardness of 62 HRC, is made of Aogami 2 steel, which has proven itself to be one of the best of Japanese carbon knife steels. It naturally rusts - the Japanese traditionally do not use chromium steels, since carbon gives a much more aggressive cut and is more resistant to dulling. The outer layers are also made of steel, only softer, which prevents damage to the central core. Prolonged use of the knife will result in a slight darkening of the approach area around the cutting edge. This will not damage the knife or detract from its performance, but it will give a nice visual contrast with the outer layers, showing the seam lines - the uneven pattern of which will resemble the yakiba line, as on Japanese katanas.

When caring for a knife from a Kurouchi Inasa Bocho TOSA 165mm blade, it must be taken into account that the blade, both the facing part and the solid core, are subject to corrosion. Although most of the bare skin is protected by blackening (Kurouchi coating) and a special varnish, it still does not completely protect against rust. Therefore, after each use, the Kurouchi Inasa Bocho TOSA 165mm knife must be washed and wiped dry. It is better to store it on an open magnetic suspension. If you do not intend to use the knife for a long time, it is advisable to lubricate the rusting parts of the blade with oil. The Japanese use butt oil for this. You also need to take into account that the central layer of the blade is very thin and hard, and the sharpening angle is critically small. It is necessary to avoid shock loads on the cutting edge, contact of the knife with something very hard (bones, frozen foods, etc.). Also, due to the fact that the central layer is very thin, with prolonged exposure to an aggressive environment, rust can completely destroy it. The blades are handmade, so there may be slight deviations from the specified dimensions and weight.

Country of origin - Japan
Producer - Tadayoshi forging company
Hardness - 62 HRC
Blade height - 50mm max
Blade length - 165mm
Steel grade - Aogami 2
Type - Inasa Bocho
Blade thickness - 3-1.5mm
Weight - 100 g.