NAGOMI BLACK Steak knives Set of 2

This NAGOMI Black steak knife set is a pair of Japanese table knives built for one job and built properly for it. Two knives, black laminated wood handles, hollow ground blades, made in Seki. They are the difference between sawing at a steak and slicing it.

NAGOMI is made by Mitsuboshi Cutlery in Seki City, Gifu Prefecture, where blades have been forged for over five hundred years and where the swordsmiths of old gave way to knife makers. Mitsuboshi has been at it for more than 140 years. The name Nagomi means harmony, and it shows in how these knives are finished: the rivets are sealed and hidden, the handles are polished by hand, and the balance between blade and handle is the thing they care most about.

A steak knife set gets used at the table rather than on the board, and that changes what matters. These have a hollow ground blade with a concave bevelled edge, closer in geometry to a hunting knife than a kitchen knife, which means they part meat cleanly instead of tearing at it. The profile is shaped to glide across a plate without scraping or scratching the glaze. They also sit upright on the table rather than lying flat, which is a small thing until you have set a table with them.

Steel and Construction

The blades are 440A molybdenum stainless steel, hardened to 56 HRC. That is deliberately softer than NAGOMI’s kitchen knives, and it is the right call for a table knife. A steak knife meets plates, bones, and the occasional careless guest. At 56 HRC these are tough, resistant to chipping, and easy to bring back when they eventually dull. 440A is high in chromium, so it resists corrosion well and stands up to being left on a plate longer than it should be.

The handles are laminated reinforced FSC certified wood sourced from Spain, set with stainless steel rivets that are sealed and concealed rather than left proud. That gives you a smooth, hygienic surface with nothing for food to catch on, and a handle that feels substantial in the hand without being heavy.

Maintenance and Care

Wash them by hand and dry them after use. They are stainless and will not rust with normal use, but they are not dishwasher safe and the laminated handles will not thank you for it. Do not leave them soaking. When the edge starts to drag, a light pass on a whetstone will bring it straight back, and because the steel is on the softer side it takes very little work.

Best for: anyone who takes their steak seriously and is tired of table knives that tear rather than cut. Also a genuinely good gift, and they present well in a set of two.

Kitchen Samurai Ease of Use Rating: 10 out of 10. Stainless, forgiving, comfortable, and almost impossible to misuse. Nothing to think about beyond washing and drying them.

HRC: 56

Made in Japan.

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