Kaeru

Kaeru means Frog in Japanese. It is the JNS house knife series — i made it with professional use in mind but designed to be easy to live with.

The blade is made from SLD steel. That is a high carbon stainless core (1.5% carbon, 60–62 HRC) wrapped in soft stainless cladding on both sides — a classic Sanmai construction. You get the sharpness and edge retention close to a full carbon knife, but with no rust worries. Works perfectly in a professional kitchen or humid environment.

For anyone coming from western knives, the hardness jump is real — 60–62 HRC versus the typical 56–58 of western knives. But the stainless cladding makes it forgiving. Much more chip resistant than a full carbon knife and almost zero maintenance compared to blue or white steel.

The grind is a workhorse — made to cut a lot of food without fussing. The finish has a clean parallel lines, which makes it easy to wipe down or touch up the finish yourself.

Handle is traditional D-shape Ho wood with a Buffalo horn. Made in Sanjo, Niigata — same town as the blade.

If you are looking for your first Japanese kitchen knife and want something hard, sharp, and easy to maintain — Kaeru is the right choice.