Kitaoka Damascus W#1 Deba 180mm

Knifesmith Hideo Kitaoka hails from Takefu Village, Fukui Province where he specializes in the production of high-quality kitchen knives. As with all the knives in this collection, the cutting edges are forged from Hitachi White Paper #1 steel, a high-carbon alloy that is very hard but not so brittle as one would expect. The outer layers of the blades are formed of many-layered Damascus steel, which is called "Suminagashi" in Japanese. The blades' hardness is 63-64 HRC. These knives are not stainless steel so care needs to be taken with cleaning and drying the knife after use.

The deba is traditionally used for filleting fish as well as cutting chicken, pork, and beef. Its heaviness and thickness allow for easy chopping through fish bones, while its ability to take on an extremely sharp edge allows for delicate work and the filleting of even the smallest fish.

This deba has a blade length of 183mm so it is suitable for medium sized fish and cuts of protein. It is sharpened from one side only with a slightly concave back side. It is quite a heavy knife at 11.6oz which is normal for a deba. The balance point is fairly forward. It has a very thick spine of over 8mm which tapers to a beautiful primary bevel. The elegant handle is made of rosewood, and the ferrule is black pakka wood.

We highly recommend Mr. Kitaoka's knives for anyone making traditional Japanese cuisine.

Blacksmith: Kitaoka

Location: Echizen, Japan

Construction: Hammer Forged, San Mai

Cladding: Carbon Steel Damascus

Edge Steel: White #1

Grind: One Sided Traditional Grind (see choil shot)

Handle: Rosewood Octagonal

Ferrule: Black Pakka Wood

Engraving: Hand Engraved

Weight: 11.6 ounces

Blade Length: 183 mm (7.2")

Overall Length: 327 mm (12.9")

Thickness at Heel: 8.3 mm

Blade Height: 55.4 mm

Please note: We only ship Kitaoka knives in the USA