Nakiri is simply Japanese for “vegetable knife.” Once you get the Shun Kanso Nakiri in your hands, you’ll soon see why both professional chefs and good cooks around the world choose this beautiful and extremely useful tool whenever they have fruits or vegetables to prepare. With its straight blade, edge, and spine, the nakiri isn’t rocked like a chef’s knife. Instead, use a simple push cut and enjoy the clean, swift work it makes of vegetables of all kinds. For daily salad preparation or slicing vegetables for stir-fry, it can’t be beat. Finely dicing onions is fast, easy, and with the Shun Kanso Nakiri’s blunt end, safer, too. The hollow-ground indentations in the blade help food release from the blade more easily, too.
Shun Kanso 6.5-in. Hollow-Ground Nakiri is part of the Shun Kanso series. Kanso is a design principle based on Zen philosophy. It means “simplicity,” but simplicity that is achieved by eliminating the non-essential. In Kanso, we took away anything that doesn’t matter and kept everything that does: high-performance steel, razor-sharp edge, perfect balance, and precision cutting control. The steel is Japanese AUS10A—highly refined, high-carbon, vanadium stainless steel that takes a razor-sharp edge and holds it longer. Kanso’s Heritage finish hides scratches and gives Kanso a rustic look that just improves with age. The handle is made of a wood called tagayasan or wenge, which is sometimes known in Japan as “iron sword wood.” The handle contouring enables an easy chef’s grip. Full-tang construction provides strength, balance, and easy cutting control. Like all Shun knives, Kanso is sharpened to a 16° cutting angle each side to cut cleanly and help preserve food’s freshness and best taste.