Takeda NAS Kogatana

Don't let that little heart fool you into thinking this knife is soft! This little guy can handle all your utility knife tasks — from scoring leather to peeling an apple.

About the Blacksmith: Shosui Takeda’s knives kick-ass, simple as that. A third-generation master blacksmith, Takeda-san was born and raised in Niimi, Okayama, Japan. After he graduated from university in Tokyo, he returned to his hometown to succeed his father as a master blacksmith for Takeda Hamono. Since 1985, he has strived to produce the very best hand-forged blades and tools. Each blade is a unique work of art and has a certain presence. Forging knives, axes, hatchets, sickles, and scythes, it seems nothing is out of the question for Takeda-san.

Carbon steel gets crazy sharp and holds an edge very well, but can rust. Stainless steel has the benefit of being less prone to rust but isn’t quite as sharp. Luckily, Japan has the solution. They make lots of kitchen knives by sandwiching 3 layers of steel together. In the case of kitchen knives the softer, outside layer is stainless and the hard core is carbon steel. The best of both worlds, super sharp — with low hassle. These are some of the most popular knives we sell. The exposed core steel can rust, and you have to wipe it dry to keep that from happening, but this is only a small part of the knife. Over time, the edge will oxidize from from shiny to a dull grey, this oxide layer slows down rust.

USE  

• Only cut food you can bite through with this knife. Hard foods can chip the blade. No olive pits, bones,  lobster shells, woody stems or parmesan rinds. Cutting frozen food is especially bad  because the cold will make hard steel even more brittle. If you wouldn’t chew it with  your own teeth, don’t cut it.  

• Your cutting surface is the biggest culprit of dulling your knife. Use wood. End  grain wood is especially good. Plastic can be fine too, but certainly not glass,  granite or bamboo. 

• The edge of your knife works best sliding forwards or backwards. Scraping the  knife edge sideways will dull or damage the edge. Instead, use the spine of the knife to move foods across the cutting board. Do not twist the edge or pry with the edge, this is the worst screwdriver you ever bought and these motions will certainly  damage the edge. Listen to the knife! If you can hear the edge making a “tink”  sound on the cutting board, change what you are doing.  

CLEANING  

• After use, wash the knife by hand with regular dish soap, rinse with hot water  and dry by hand immediately. Dishwashers are very bad for knives.  

• Wood handles may dry out over time and exposure to water. Simply treat them  with some food safe mineral oil or beeswax.  

• If you see orange rust, remove it. The scrubby side of a sponge can do the trick.  If it’s still not coming off try baking soda and water mixed into a paste or a product  called Barkeeper’s Friend.  

STORING  

• Protect the edge; for your safety and to avoid edge damage. A simple blade cover  will do the trick if you keep knives in a drawer or travel case. 

• A convenient wall magnet made with wood is a great way to show off your knives.  Be sure to put it back spine first, then roll it onto the blade face. This will keep the  edge from contacting the wood first.  

• The good-ol’ counter top block can keep knives at the ready and protected. So can  drawer inserts. Whatever the method, keep the edge from touching anything else. 

We aim to ship your order within 1 business day at Knifewear, if there is a hold up, we'll aim to let you know and give you a timeline.

We offer free shippingon orders over $100* anywhere in Canada and $200* to customers in the USA. We ship worldwide, and offer up to the minute rates from our shipping partner DHL.

*Konro Grills and some other larger items are excluded from the free shipping offer.

How do I make a return on an online order?
No worries, we've got you sorted. Head over to https://knifewear.com/returns and follow the prompts. 

Can I pick up my order Curbside / At the store?
Absolutely, as long as all the items you are looking for are in stock at the location you want to pickup from, you'll be able to select that at the checkout. If one or more items aren't at your preferred location we are happy to ship it to you.