Yamamoto Hamono Nakiri-bocho 135mm Aogami #1

We can't pretend this is an objectively beautiful knife. It's not. Not really.

But it will cut and it deserves its place here and perhaps in your kitchen. It's light, it's pointy, it's aogami #1. In hand it feels... nice. Not yet truly sharp, time on the stones will make it so. It's not a stand-out piece. We bought it mainly because of the person who forged it.

It was on another circuit of Kyushu, clockwise this time on a route that passes through Hyuga city on the coast of Miyazaki Prefecture, that we had the chance to drop in on the man who we believe to be the oldest active bladesmith in Japan, Yamamoto san, to see what he had. He had this. 

Yamamoto san calls it a nakiri and the thinness of the blade explains why. He could call it a santoku, or a bannou, but at his age we suspect his knife-name memory and influences stretch back further than most. We'll call it a nakiri too, for old time's sake.

Yamamoto san is certainly an old-timer. More famous for his forestry nata than his knives, regularly featured in local media for his longevity as much as his work. Nudging ninety-five and still forging. We're happy to offer him our custom.