Okubo Kajiya Takenoko Nakiri 230mm Aogami #2

Before anything, a quick language lesson. 'Take' (竹, pronounced ta-ke) is bamboo in Japanese. 'Ko' in this case means child. Ta-ke-no-ko is - you guessed it - child of bamboo or in the real world, bamboo shoots. Think giant bamboo - the thirty-metre / 100 foot high variety. Those kids are big. 

So when harvesting and processing them you need a big knife. Oh look, here's one.

Fresh takenoko are very firm, quite grippy and somewhat splitty. When cutting a bunch of them you do not want an ordinary knife. This is no ordinary knife.

Pick up Okubo san's takenoko nakiri and the world and everything in it seems to shrink. There will never be a bamboo shoot, beet or watermelon that this nakiri cannot conquer.

Just bear in mind, it is rather big. Bigger than you think. And this isn't even the 'big' one.

A final note, and an important one for would-be buyers to consider. While forged by a master blacksmith this is fundamentally an agricultural tool. We're not kidding when we tell you its reason for being is to process giant bamboo shoots. In sheds, probably.

A recent buyer (a satisfied purchaser, we hasten to add) recommended we point out that there may be minor inconsistencies - high and low spots - on the edge. In M's case he found these inconsistencies didn't affect performance but he did suggest we highlight that this is not a 'factory' blade, in order to temper expectations in excited buyers. He further commented that with some small time on the stones the bevels and edge can be refined to improve performance.

So if you have perfectionist inclinations, please consider these insights. With gravity on its side the takenoko nakiri will perform its intended function and much more besides, but a refined jewel it is not. More like a soundly forged tool. We like to think our product photos tell the story. Your story may see minor variations.

Final final note. Okubo san delivered our latest takenoko nakiri with a very robust pin in the handle. If you plan to swap out the handle then consider the ordering your takenoko nakiri with the pinless handle, or blade only. The pinned handle looked like it would require some violence to remove.