Blade only
Gihei Mikagi Petty HAP40 (office knife) 150 mm -blade only-
Gihei Migaki Petty HAP40
Double-bevel, 3-layer blade with a core of extremely hard HAP40 stainless steel. The blade is thin and hand-ground. It has no thickened areas, which makes sharpening very easy. This slim, thin knife is intended for small kitchen tasks such as preparing fish and meat, and peeling and cutting vegetables and fruit.
Gihei was founded in 1928 in Sanjo City (Niigata Prefecture). Gihei is one of the small yet highly innovative forges currently operating in the city of Sanjo. Gihei is known for producing top-quality knives with excellent grinds. The heat treatment is exceptional, and they make these knives in small batches with strict quality controls. The core of these blades is made of HAP40 or ZDP189 steel clad with stainless steel—one of the best in terms of wear resistance currently on the market. These knives are flawlessly heat-treated to Rockwell 65–66, have an outstanding edge, and retain it for an incredibly long time. Atsushi Hosokawa is the current owner and uses only the best available steels such as ZDP189 and HAP40. We visited Mr. Hosokawa’s workshop in 2019.
- Blade length: 150 mm
- Overall length: 200 mm
- Weight: xxx grams
- Steel type: core steel: Japanese HAP40 (stainless) steel with a softer stainless steel (SUS405) for the outer layers
- Hardness: 65 (Rockwell C)
- Handle: no handle; the tang is suitable for our Japanese-style handles
This series is forged from HAP40 semi-stainless steel, a premium powdered steel known for its exceptional hardness and long-lasting sharpness. The core steel is protected by two layers of stainless steel (sanmai construction), making the knife more resistant to corrosion and breakage.
HAP40 steel
HAP40 is a high-end powder-metallurgy steel and is among the hardest steels used in kitchen knives. Compared with, for example, ZDP-189, HAP40:
- retains its sharpness for a very long time
- is relatively easier to sharpen
- offers an excellent balance between hardness and toughness
Because of its extremely high hardness, HAP40 is quite sensitive to damage. The steel is also very difficult to sharpen yourself; experience with sharpening on whetstones is required.
The stainless cladding layers act as a strong, reliable outer layer around the core steel. This sanmai construction protects the HAP40 core steel against corrosion (rust) and increases structural stability.
As a result, the knife combines extreme sharpness with a long service life and practical everyday ease of use.
Like all Japanese knives, Gihei knives are not dishwasher-safe. Cleaning and drying after each use is the best care for these exclusive products.
No wooden saya are available for this knife.
