UTILITY KNIFE - "KOGATANA" - 18.5 CM - MAGASIN VIVANT!

“Kogatana” literally means "small knife" (Ko = small, Gatana = knife/blade).

Our Kogatana, raw, simple, handy, and precise, is a versatile utility knife. A tool used in Japan for daily tasks, crafts, woodworking, leatherwork, or papercraft, it is also used in floral art or for culinary carving.

One could say it is a large utility knife with a rigid, sharpenable blade. Unlike the traditional Japanese Kiridashi, its blade is double-edged, as on all European knives.

The carbon steel blade has a “Kurouchi” finish, meaning it is very raw, and its appearance varies from one knife to another. ATTENTION: carbon steel can rust; be sure to read the maintenance instructions.

• Edge: 4.5 cm
• Thickness: 2 mm
• Total knife length: 18.5 cm
• Steel: 52100 CARBON: appreciated for its exceptional combination of hardness, wear resistance, and toughness (impact resistance)
• Hardness: 61+ HRC
• Traditionally made in Vietnam by the Dao Vua Cooperative

HISTORY OF THE DAO VUA COOPERATIVE: 

Vietnam, year 1288, during the second war against the Mongol Empire, General Tran Hung Dao retired to the Thai Binh province. He recruited and settled the 5 best blacksmiths in the country in the village of An Tiem to organize the production of weapons against the Mongol invaders. 

For over 730 years, the fires of the village forges have never stopped burning, and the sound of hammered metal echoes through the surrounding countryside. Since the end of the war, the tradition has endured in a very private way, thanks to the production of knives and agricultural tools. 

In 2016, the village organized itself to create the "Dao Vua Cooperative," a name given in honor of Tran Hung Dao. The expertise of the elders, combined with the creativity of the younger generation, has made it possible to restore the most ancestral Vietnamese forging method through "The 22 Secret Steps of Manufacturing." Its mission is to popularize this traditional craftsmanship and to promote Vietnamese culture throughout the world. 

From this ambition, the Dao Vua knife was born, a knife made entirely by hand according to the multi-centenary technique, with contemporary shapes inspired by traditional Japanese blades.