Description

At the Seki Knife Show, we discovered some especially shiny knives made from a special steel, they had a powerful energy, yet they had beautiful details and were very precisely and meticulously finished.

These knives were made by the Veteran Custom Knife Maker Nobutaka Ohta, who has concentrated on making practical, high-end custom knives throughout his 30-year knife making career.

While we were chatting with him, it quickly became clear that he is a very  sincere and professional gentleman. In addition, whilst he is a veteran custom knife maker, he is still very positive and flexible.  

We understand that there have been big challenges during his knife making career and that great determination was needed to learn and hone the knife making skills and knowledge that he uses to produce his high-quality knives.

Mr. Ohta started his knife making career in the year 1989. He dedicated himself to learning custom knife making from top-ranked Japanese Custom Knife Makers. Mr. Ohta’s knife making philosophy and attitude are simple, but very important: He makes a great effort and takes great care to ensure that his knives will satisfy the user’s needs and preference. Genuine hunters select Mr. Ohta knives because they offer genuine cutting performance and practicality, the hunters also give Mr. Ohta valuable feedback and detailed requests, allowing Mr. Ohta to improve the quality and practicality of his knives until they better meet his customers needs.

His passion and his honest, sincere attitude have enabled Mr. Ohta to achieve the production of high-level custom knives. We think Master Ohta’s ZDP-189 Custom Knives are simply outstanding.

NO-3 ZDP-189 Custom Premium Hunter III 

Highly Mirror Polished, 5.7’ Solid ZDP-189 Steel Drop Point Blade with a Hybrid Convex grind (The lower section, including the blade edge, are convex, while the upper section is ground at a steeper angle for high cutting performance). This Full-Tang knife is fitted with a Sturdy 4.9 inch Desert  Ironwood and Wenge Custom Combination handle that has Good Weight, Strength and Durability. Designed to meet the needs of serious hunters, the handle is nicely hand contoured to provide a secure, comfortable grip.

Mr. Ohta always thoughtfully considers practicality and cutting performance, which is why he selected Japan’s premium Powdered High Speed Tool Steel, ZDP-189 (HRc. 67), from Hitachi Steel Company. This rare and remarkable Japanese Steel can achieve a very high hardness level and provide excellent cutting performance, edge retention and rust resistance.

Mr. Ohta has decorated the Tang and Spine of this elegant, beautiful and powerfully practical custom knife with custom Hand Engraving that imitates the traditional file-work that was once a common feature of high-end knives.

Solid ZDP-189 Blade : 4mm thick, 147mm blade, 273mm overall, Weight 290g

Specification
Knife Model: Nobutaka Ohta NO-3 Custom Premium Hunter III
Blade Material: ZDP-189 Powdered High Speed Tool Steel
Rockwell Hardness (HRc.): 67
Handle Material: Desert Ironwood & Wenge Custom Combination handle with Stainless Steel Hilt

Leather Sheath: Custom Handmade Lizard & Water Buffalo Leather Sheath
Overall Length: 273mm (10-¾ inches)
Blade Length: 147mm (5-¾ inches)
Blade Thickness: 4mm (5/32 inch approximately)
Weight: 290g (10.2oz)