Seiryu

The third part of the Constellation series announces its arrival. After all, this is His Highness the Blue Dragon. He followed his predecessors the Firebird and the White Tiger. The dragon is considered the most important symbol in Chinese culture, so let's see why this is so.

At the very beginning, it should be noted that, unlike the Western world, where the main mission of the dragon is to have at least three stupid heads (the more stupid heads the dragon gains in importance) and to consume unfortunate princesses, in Eastern cultures the dragon is the bearer not only of power, but especially good. He is therefore revered and holds the highest position in the Chinese hierarchy. It was especially popular with the emperors, who considered themselves descendants of the dragon. He rules the stars, belongs to the male principle of yang, and has appropriated water from the elements - hence the blue dragon. From the seasons, it represents spring, and from the cardinal points, logically, it represents east.

Seiryu is the Japanese term for the Blue Dragon. The producer Marusho Industry was preparing for this edition for a long time and conscientiously. Just as the dragon is the most important symbol of the zodiac, this knife set is the pinnacle of the Constellation series. Surpassing the high level set by the Suzaku and Byakko editions is no easy task at all. Well, where there is a goal, there is a way, the classics said.

We found Suzaku's fiery feathers in complicated damask mokume, Byakko's tiger teeth in beautiful suminagashi, but Seiryu's strength and clarity are reflected in aesthetically clean and at first glance simple blades. However, it is necessary to emphasize the term "at first glance". Just look more closely and play a little with the incident light and the dragon will reveal its secret. The undulating polished hamon resembles the curves of a dragon and contrasts tastefully with the matte top of the blade. At the right angle, polished vertical stripes appear. A truly original solution to the subtle completion of the texture. By the way, this other dragon reference is very difficult to capture photographically. As if His Highness Seiryu didn't want to let a mere mortal see this beauty. On the right side of the blade we find the brand name, steel designation and country of origin. The kanji characters mean Seiryu - Blue Dragon. On the left side, you can't miss the inscription Limited Edition Seiryu and the serial number of the set. The Blue Dragon himself is enthroned above this inscription.

Structurally, it is a traditional San Mai, but with the best core you can find in Japan. It is forged from ZDP-189 steel, which can be found on the top shelves of the Hitachi Metals steel plant. The extremely high carbon content is well balanced by chromium, making it an anti-corrosion steel. In addition to other important alloying elements such as tungsten, vanadium, molybdenum, silicon and manganese, tempering at minus 196°C (sub-zero treatment) is mainly responsible for the extreme hardness, which reaches up to 67 HRC. Working with this material is extremely difficult and there are only a few knife makers who have taken up the challenge. The edge, as we are used to with Zanmai knives, is in the Hamaguri form.

Both the blades and the handles are exceptional. It is difficult to judge which part of the knife was a bigger conundrum. Their wavy shape resembles the body of a dragon. The acrylic resin plays with several shades of blue exactly like the element that the dragon represents. We recognize dragon scales in the texture of the handle. The transition of dynamic lines between the nickel-silver alloy bolster, the handle and the foot is at an unprecedented level and we can hardly find a parallel anywhere. If we admired the flawless twisted octagon with the Zanmai Supreme Twisted series, here we go a few levels higher. This subtle detail hides craftsmanship perfection that is hard to even describe. It could have ended here. But not Marusho Industry. Subtle black cellulose rings were used to interface between the disparate materials. The main decorative pin in the shape of the sun found its place in the middle of the handle. The smaller one, graphically identical to the peace sign of the painter Nikolai Roerich, can be found at the beginning of the cone foot representing, as usual, a dragon's tail.

The cassette is well known to fans of the Constellation project. It differs from the previous ones in the color of the knife bed lining. It is dark blue, reminiscent of water.

For those who have the honor for the first time. This is a limited numbered set of four knives consisting of Petty, Santoku, Gyuto and Kiritsuke. 50 sets were produced for the whole world. Blue Dragon is the third edition of the Constellation series.

© 2022 Copyright Roman Ulík, Nippon Knives, www.japonskenoze.sk all rights reserved.

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