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Made by Kikuichi in Nara, Japan, engraved for BLACKBARN
Material: Fine-grit black ceramic, approximately 8000 grit equivalent
Handle: Cherry wood with a stainless steel hanging ring
Length: 40 cm overall, 27 cm honing surface
Realigns the edge between sharpenings; not meant to sharpen the blade
Care: Hand wash with mild soap and warm water, dry immediately; avoid abrasives and harsh chemicals. Not dishwasher safe; dishwasher use voids the Kikuichi warranty.
Every good knife dulls. Not suddenly, and not from damage, but from use. The edge does not disappear so much as it wanders, folding out of true a fraction at a time until one morning the tomato resists and you wonder what changed.
Nothing changed. The knife is only waiting to be put back in line.
Honing does not sharpen the blade, it realigns the microscopic edge so that every cut is precise. Fine-grit black ceramic, gentle enough for hardened Japanese steel. Cherry in the hand, warm the way wood always is against the cool of the blade. A stainless ring at the end, because this is meant to hang within reach at the pass or beside the board at home, not to be put away with the things you mean to use.
Three or four passes before you begin. Ten seconds, most days. The small correction that keeps a good thing good. It is not maintenance so much as it is arrival.
A knife you hone is a knife you keep.
