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Nigara  |  SKU: NIGA_VGDATS_KGY210BC

Nigara VG10 Damascus Tsuchime K-tip Gyuto 210mm Black Chacate Handle

Sale price $5,268.00 Regular price $6,183.00

Availability

  • St Peters (Online/Showroom)
    2 Bishop St Unit 2 St Peters NSW 2044
  • Crows Nest (Storefront)
    107 West St, Crows Nest NSW 2065
    Pickup only
Detailed Specifications
Line Nigara VG10 Tsuchime Damascus
Profile K-tip Gyuto / Chefs Knife
Bevel Type Double Bevel
Weight 165 g | 5.8 oz
Edge Length 205 mm | 8 5/64″
Heel Height 51 mm | 2 1/64″
Width @ Heel 2.2 mm | 3/32″
Width @ Mid 2.1 mm | 5/64″
Width @ 1cm from Tip 1.1 mm | 3/64″
Steel VG10 | Stainless
Blade Construction Sanmai - Stainless Damascus Clad
Hardness (HRC) 59 - 61
Surface Finish Tsuchime
Handle Octagonal Black Chacate
Region Aomori
Best for
  • First-timers
  • Pro chefs
  • Enthusiasts
  • Free shipping for knives over AU$200 Australia wide.
  • World-wide shipping via DHL Express, 3 to 5 days.


The VG10 Tsuchime Damascus line offers an appealing blend of affordability and aesthetics.

The series introduces a unique hammered pattern (Tsuchime), adding an extra layer of visual allure. Renowned for their exceptional fit and finish, the VG10 series competes strongly as the top choice for an ultimate stainless steel knife in its price bracket. Featuring a forged VG-10 core steel hardened to 60-61hrc, VG10 offers a balanced stainless steel option ideal for a wide range of kitchen tasks.

Pros Cons
  • Budget friendly
  • Excellent performance
  • Workhorse grind
  • Easy to look after
  • On the thicker side
Care Instruction
  1. Don't cut hard things! Japanese knives are brittle so bone hacking is a NO NO!
  2. Wash with neutral detergent after use, and wipe dry;
  3. Please don't wash knife with dishwasher, it will damage the wood handle;
  4. Be careful not to leave the knife close to a heat source for a long time;
  5. It is a lot more dangerous to cut with a blunt knife than a sharp knife!
  6. It is best to sharpen a Japanese knife regularly on a waterstone.

Nigara

Hirosaki sword and knife artisan

Based in the small yet beautiful city of Hirosaki in the northern prefecture of  Aomori, Nigara hamono has been making samurai swords for 350 yearas, with master Kunitoshi  (國俊) being one of the most famous sword smith in his generation. Now headed by the 8th generation mastersmith Go Yoshizawa (吉澤 剛) supported by his father Toshiju Yoshizawa (吉澤 俊寿), Nigara is becoming very popular thanks of its exquisite forging skills and second to none quality control. 

“Katana making family in Aomori carrying their linage with creativity and innovation, known for the striking "Anmon" design and striking high-end, hand forged damascus items”

Est. 1949 | 昭和24年
Known for Glamorous and innovative knife design, inherited forging skills.
Website nigaraknives.com Read more about Nigara
Nigara — Aomori
Profile: K-tip Gyuto
Profile

K-tip Gyuto

Chefs Knife

The K-tip Gyuto — known in Japanese as kiritsuke gyuto (切付牛刀) — is a double-bevelled chef's knife that pairs the all-purpose body of a standard gyuto with a kiritsuke-style tip: an angled, clipped "k-tip" point in place of the gyuto's curved belly. Combined with a flatter edge profile, this gives two advantages. The sharply defined tip excels at precise work — scoring, detailing and picking — while the flatter edge is optimised for clean push-cutting and long slicing strokes. It remains a versatile general-purpose knife, but rewards a chef who works with deliberate, tip-led precision.

A note on naming: the K-tip (or "Kiritsuke") Gyuto is a double-bevelled knife and should not be confused with the traditional Kiritsuke (切付け) — a single-bevelled knife that is a genuinely different tool. Many retailers list the two interchangeably; at Knives and Stones we keep them distinct so you know exactly what you're buying.
Composition

VG10 Element Composition

Compare with
    VG10
    15.0% 11.3% 7.5% 3.8% 0
    C Carbon 1.0%
    Primary hardening element. Raises hardness and wear resistance — but too much increases brittleness and corrosion susceptibility. As a reference: German 1.4112 (~0.5%) sits at the low end; VG-10 (~1.0%) is a common mid-range; SG2 (1.25–1.45%) and ZDP-189 (~3.0%) represent high and extreme ends respectively.
    C
    1.0%
    Cr Chromium 15.0%
    Raises corrosion resistance; 13%+ qualifies steel as stainless. Also improves hardenability and wear resistance. In kitchen use, higher chromium levels contribute to a slight drag or sticking sensation when cutting — a trade-off for the rust resistance it provides.
    Cr
    15.0%
    V Vanadium 0.25%
    Forms extremely hard carbides for superior edge retention. Also refines grain structure, improving toughness.
    V
    0.25%
    Mo Molybdenum 1.0%
    Improves hardenability and toughness. Boosts corrosion resistance and helps the steel hold hardness under heat.
    Mo
    1.0%
    Co Cobalt 1.55%
    Allows higher hardening temperatures, increasing hardness and wear resistance. Slightly reduces toughness at high levels.
    Co
    1.55%
    C — Carbon Cr — Chromium V — Vanadium Mo — Molybdenum Co — Cobalt
    Hardness 59–61 HRC
    555759616365+
    Steel
    VG10
    Category
    Stainless
    Manufacturer
    Takefu Special Steel, Japan 🇯🇵
    Hardness
    59–61 HRC
    Steel

    VG10

    • Manufacturer
      • Takefu Special Steel, Japan
    • Nature Stainless
    • Hardness59–61 HRC
    Takefu VG10, is a high-end stainless steel celebrated for its exceptional edge retention and sharpness. It is a popular choice among Japanese kitchen knife makers and widely used in various types of knives, including kitchen knives, folders, and fixed blades.

    VG10 achieves a hardness of around 60-61 HRC, with some makers pushing it to 62 HRC, ensuring good edge holding and stain resistance. The steel's composition includes 15% chromium (Cr) for corrosion resistance, 1% molybdenum (Mo), and 1.5% cobalt (Co) for matrix strengthening, leading to high hardness and durability. The addition of vanadium (V) refines its microstructure and, along with Cr and Mo, produces hard carbides that enhance wear resistance. VG10 is easy to sharpen, has good machinability, and supports secondary hardening with high-temperature tempering, making it suitable for blades that may undergo surface coating treatments up to about 450℃. Its well-rounded attributes make VG10 steel highly versatile, performing excellently in a range of applications from kitchen and general-purpose knives to machine blades.
    Construction: Sanmai - Stainless Damascus Clad
    Construction

    Sanmai - Stainless Damascus Clad

    Sanmai(Three-Piece) is a common construction for double bevel knives where two pieces of softer cladding steel are forgewelded to each side of a harder core steel. The harder but more brittle core steel will form the hard cutting edge after heat treating, and the softer cladding will support the core to increase the overall strength of the blade.

    Damascus Sanmai utilize damascus steel as the cladding material for the Sanmai construction, which adds aesthetic feature to the blade. On the Kitchen knives with stainless core steel, the damascus cladding will be stainless, this means they will also protect the carbon/semi-stainless core from rusting/discolouration.

    The soft cladding enables the thinning process to be a lot easier than a honyaki or monosteel construction. However, when the cladding is made of damascus, whether etched, polished or mirror polished, the thinning process will take a toll on the cladding, meaning the damascus won't look the same as when it was taken out of the box.

    Finish: Tsuchime
    Finish

    Tsuchime

    The "Tsuchime" finish in Japanese kitchen knives refers to a distinctive hammered texture on the blade's surface. This traditional technique not only adds a unique aesthetic appeal but also provides practical benefits, such as reducing drag and preventing food from sticking to the blade during slicing. It's a hallmark of craftsmanship that blends functionality with artistry, making each knife not only a tool but a piece of art.

    Handle
    Handle

    Octagonal Black Chacate

    • Profile Octagonal WA
    • Material
      • Black Chacate

    Black Chacate is a highly valued timber known for its deep, rich brown to almost black coloration, fine texture, and exceptional durability. It polishes well, offering an exquisite finish that highlights its subtle, elegant grain patterns. This wood is often used in fine woodworking projects, including luxury furniture, decorative items, and high-end knife handles.

    An octagonal wa handle made from Black Chacate wood would exhibit a sleek, geometric shape that fits comfortably in the hand, enhancing the user's grip and control. The deep hues and natural luster of Black Chacate add a touch of sophistication and unparalleled beauty to the handle, making it not only a functional component of a kitchen knife but also a piece of art. The durability and stability of Black Chacate ensure that the handle withstands the rigors of kitchen use while maintaining its aesthetic appeal over time.

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    Frequently asked questions

    Is a K-tip Gyuto the same as a traditional Kiritsuke?

    Not quite - and it is the single most common point of confusion when people shop for a kiritsuke. The two knives share the same striking angled, reverse-tanto tip, but underneath that tip they are very different tools.

    A K-tip gyuto is a double-bevel knife: it is ground on both sides like any Western-style chef's knife, so it is ambidextrous, forgiving to use, and sharpened exactly the way you would sharpen a normal gyuto. You get the dramatic kiritsuke look with the everyday usability of an all-purpose chef's knife.

    A traditional kiritsuke - including the kiritsuke-yanagiba (slicer) and kiritsuke-gyuto shapes - is a single-bevel knife, ground on one side only. It is historically a master chef's knife: it takes real practice to use well, is set up for right-handed users by default, and needs single-bevel sharpening technique to maintain.

    So if you want the kiritsuke silhouette with no learning curve, choose a K-tip gyuto. If you specifically want the traditional single-bevel discipline - and the precision it allows on fish and vegetables - choose a true kiritsuke. At Knives and Stones we stock both, and each product page tells you which construction you are looking at.

    ✓ Verified by Knives and Stones · James Zhang · Reviewed 29 May 2026

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