Tsunehisa Ginsan Nashiji Bunka 180mm Ebony Handle

Tsunehisa Ginsan Nashiji is a series of products that have been quite popular in the entry level market, and the reason is simple, it offers pretty much everything you would want from a Japanese kitchen knife while being affordable and easy to look after, and some of the design features are very beneficial to entry level users who what get into the world of Japanese kitchen knives,

I think the look of these knives would catch the attention of many people in the first place, the very textured Nashiji finish meets the bevel in a wavy line, achieved by sandblasting the Migaki finished bevel over a mask. This is a bit more complicated design than for a budget knife, but it has that very organic look instead of the smooth and uniform finish, which creates that “forged look” that people associate with Japanese handmade knives. 

As for how it cuts, I have to admit this is not the smoothest cutting knife out there. It retains some thickness behind the edge and has a bit flat bevel, which adds some resistance to the cut. It may be a design decision made to increase the strength of the edge which can be a plus for entry level users that are afraid of chipping their knife as soon as they start using them. That being said, these knives would still easily outperform the typical European knives like Wusthof or Zwilling, they just wouldn’t stand out among their Japanese colleagues. 

The use of Ginsan steel would be the one biggest reason for me to recommend this to a beginner user who is also considering learning sharpening down the road. This is a very simple stainless steel that has only chromium addition to give it the stainlessness. As a result, it is very easy to sharpen among all common stainless steels, but the higher carbon content allows it to develop a quite clean ape very easily. Basically, it is an ideal beginner knife, low in maintenance and easy to sharpen, which works well with other features of this line.

I would highly recommend this line to people who are unsure about what to choose for themself to begin with when it comes to the first ever Japanese kitchen knives, and it can also be a good gifting option for people who are unsure of the receiver of the knife can handle the knife well.