TIGRITUDE III
Kiritsuke chef’s knife for vegetables, fish, meat and everyday prep · 73-layer Damascus, cobalt-bearing VG10 core
1.496,00 kr. incl. tax
The making
TIGRITUDE III was designed by Jacob Bech and Shanru Lin, from the first sketch to the finished edge. Every detail was tried, argued over, and tried again. Each of the six knives in EX-ANIMO III has its own finish. That is by design, not by chance. On TIGRITUDE III, that finish is a blade hand-forged on a power hammer, which stretches the layers into a pattern like a mountain range, etched until you can feel it, a 20.8 cm blade with an angled tip, and a handle of snakewood and dark rosewood.
- The steel73 layers in total, including a cobalt-bearing VG10 steel core; the Damascus layers on both sides are 316L stainless steel.
- The mountain rangeEach blade is stretched by hand on a power hammer. The hammer draws the layers out across the blade and leaves a pattern like a mountain range, which falls differently on every knife, so no two TIGRITUDE III blades look the same.
- Oil quenched and temperedHardened and tempered to 62 HRC. The figure comes from our production testing.
- Deep acid etchingThe layers respond differently to the acid, leaving the mountain range as raised and recessed areas you can feel on the flat of the blade.
- The markThe tiger’s head and the RICEKNIFE name are engraved directly into the right side by EDM. The RICEKNIFE and LINBECH logos are stamped into the left side.
- The handleSnakewood, selected for its dense, connected markings, and dark rosewood. The natural variation in the wood means no two handles are the same. The wooden sections are hand-finished with a wood wax Jacob makes himself from organic beeswax and food-grade mineral oil.
- Ground by hand, then approvedEvery edge is ground by hand. Jacob examines each finished knife before it is approved. A numbered certificate comes with the knife.
I have worked on its geometry and balance for repeated use at the chopping board: long cuts through an ingredient, followed by smaller work with the tip. With TIGRITUDE III, I want you to feel the character of the tiger when you take the knife in your hand. Know your own strength, stand by it, and let what you do speak for you.
73 layers. One cobalt-bearing VG10 core.
The steel, certified
- IA documented core. We keep the mill certificate for our cobalt-bearing VG10 core and publish its recorded composition, so you can see which steel forms the cutting edge.
- IILayers you can feel. Deep acid etching leaves a relief in the steel itself, not a pattern printed or lasered onto the surface.
- IIIA mark engraved, not lasered. The motif and name are cut by EDM to avoid deforming the blade. It costs more time, labor and electricity.
- IV62 HRC, tested. Oil quenched and tempered; the hardness comes from our production testing, not from the certificate.
- VAn edge ground by hand. Ground by Jacob and his team in the workshop, not on a production line. Every knife examined by Jacob before approval.
The certificate describes the annealed raw bar, 236 HB, and does not certify layer count or finished hardness; the 62 HRC comes from our own testing after heat treatment. No single element makes a knife; the core, the heat treatment and the geometry do.
A tiger does not proclaim its tigritude. It pounces.
The name comes from a line by the Nigerian writer Wole Soyinka, the first African winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, in reply to the Négritude movement: a tiger does not proclaim its tigritude, it pounces. Tigritude, the tiger’s nature, is strength that does not need to announce itself. That sentence is on the certificate that comes with every TIGRITUDE III.
That is what the tiger’s head on the right side of the blade stands for, engraved directly into the steel by EDM next to the RICEKNIFE name. Know your own strength, stand by it, and let what you do speak for you. It is a knife for the quiet one everyone relies on: a father, a mentor, a coach, the friend who never talks about what they can do and simply does it.
The first release includes 200 TIGRITUDE III knives. Each comes with a numbered certificate.
The kiritsuke with reach.
A long, straight-ish edge and an angled tip. The 20.8 cm blade gives you reach for long cuts through an ingredient, and the tip takes over for the smaller, precise work that follows. Made for vegetables, fish and boneless meat, and, at 185 g, light enough to keep going through a whole evening at the board.
Stretched on the power hammer.
TIGRITUDE III is hand-forged on a power hammer and finished by hand. The hammer stretches the blade and draws the layers out across it, leaving a pattern like a mountain range. Deep acid etching then brings the Damascus layers up between the raised and recessed areas as a relief with physical depth on the flat of the blade, away from the edge. The pattern falls differently on every knife, so the one you hold is the only one with that surface. It changes with the light, and you can feel its texture under your fingertips.
The tiger’s head and the RICEKNIFE name on the right side are engraved directly into the steel by EDM, no laser. Run a finger over them and you will feel the edges. The RICEKNIFE and LINBECH logos on the left side are stamped into the steel.
Snakewood and dark rosewood.
The handle combines dark rosewood with snakewood selected for its dense, connected markings. The red-brown color and the dark grain are the wood itself, and the natural variation from piece to piece gives each handle its own appearance. The handle on the knife you receive is not the one in the photographs; it is its own. The wood is hand-finished with a wood wax that Jacob Bech makes himself from organic beeswax and food-grade mineral oil.
Wash the knife by hand and dry it straight away. Do not leave the wooden handle soaking, and keep the knife out of the dishwasher. Because of the wax finish, routine oiling is not required; wipe the handle dry with the blade. Treated that way, the handle is made to last as long as the blade.
About the edge
Warning: this knife arrives sharper than most people expect. Unpack it with care and keep it away from children.
The core is a cobalt-bearing VG10 steel, oil quenched and tempered to 62 HRC, then hand sharpened on stones by Jacob and his team in the workshop. In the film above, at the very end, he tests it the way we test every knife: a sheet of printer paper, no pressure, one clean cut.
Cut on wood or suitable plastic, never on glass, stone or metal. No bones, no frozen food, no twisting in the cut. Wash by hand and dry straight away.
In detail
- Type
- Damascus kiritsuke chef’s knife, angled tip
- Blade
- 20.8 cm. Blade height 53 mm at the heel. Overall 350 mm, handle 142 mm
- Weight
- 185 g
- Steel
- 73 layers in total, including a cobalt-bearing VG10 steel core; the Damascus layers on both sides are 316L stainless steel
- Core
- Cobalt-bearing VG10 steel: C 1.10 · Cr 14.56 · Mo 0.84 · Co 1.54 · V 0.25 · W 0.11%
- Hardness
- 62 HRC after tempering, oil quenched
- Making
- Finished by hand
- Surface
- Mountain-range pattern from stretching on the power hammer, different on every knife, brought out in relief by deep acid etching
- Right side
- RICEKNIFE and the tiger’s head, engraved directly by EDM
- Left side
- RICEKNIFE and LINBECH logos stamped into the steel
- Handle
- Snakewood and dark rosewood
- Edge
- Ground by hand
- Edition
- First release of 200. Numbered certificate included. Further production possible
- Gift
- Engraving and gift wrapping on request
- Collection
- EX-ANIMO III 2026
Designed in Denmark by RICEKNIFE. The cobalt-bearing VG10 core is documented by a mill certificate we keep. Read about the steel
Buy
1.496,00 kr. incl. tax
- Limited edition. First release of 200, numbered certificate included.
- Ground and finished by hand. Jacob examines every knife before approval.
- Engraving and gift wrapping on request.
Ask JacobAsk Jacob anything: a knife, a stone, a gift, or your own sharpening. We do our best to be here around the clock and to reply within the hour during the day, Copenhagen time, or first thing next morning if you write at night.
WhatsApp +45 20 46 46 90 · Instagram @riceknife_denmark · [email protected]
We keep evolving.
EX-ANIMO III is the third generation of the series, and every generation has been a step on from the last. EX-ANIMO III has a cobalt-bearing VG10 core with a mill certificate we can show you, a motif and name engraved by EDM instead of laser, a deeper etch you can feel, and an edge ground by hand by Jacob and his team. We do not release a new series until we are sure it is a step forward. This is the best we have made so far, and the next one will have to beat it.
The collection
VALKYRIE III
The longer, lighter chef’s knife. 23.7 cm, 204 g, long Damascus lines and runes cut into the steel.
Knife care
Keep it this sharp
A knife this sharp stays sharp only if you maintain it. Jacob spent five years on the sharpening system below, and made a video for each set. Start with the set that matches how often you cook, not how good you think you are.
The full system, Jacob’s story and all the videos: Jacob’s Sharpening
Questions
Is TIGRITUDE III a kiritsuke?
Yes. Kiritsuke is the Japanese name for a long chef’s knife with a straight-ish edge and an angled tip. TIGRITUDE III is Riceknife’s own kiritsuke design: a 20.8 cm blade for vegetables, fish and boneless meat, with a cobalt-bearing VG10 core, finished by hand. The longer blade gives you reach for long cuts, and the angled tip helps with fine work.
What does Tigritude mean?
Tigritude is the nature of the tiger. The word comes from the Nigerian Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka, who said: a tiger does not proclaim its tigritude, it pounces. It describes strength that does not need to announce itself. That is what the tiger’s head on the right side of the blade stands for, engraved directly into the steel by EDM next to the RICEKNIFE name. That sentence is on the certificate that comes with every TIGRITUDE III.
Who is TIGRITUDE III for, and is it a good gift?
For someone who knows their own strength and does not need to announce it: a father, a mentor, a coach, a boss who earned it, a friend who found their voice, anyone born in the Year of the Tiger. At 185 g and 20.8 cm it is a full-size Damascus kiritsuke chef’s knife for vegetables, fish and boneless meat, with a tiger’s head engraved into the blade and a mountain-range pattern that is different on every knife. Give it on Father’s Day, at Christmas, or to the person who never talks about what they can do and simply does it. First release of 200, numbered certificate.
Can TIGRITUDE III be engraved or gift wrapped?
Yes. We can engrave a name, a date or a short line, and we can gift wrap the knife. Message Jacob on WhatsApp (+45 20 46 46 90) or Instagram (@riceknife_denmark), or email [email protected], when you order, to agree the text and the wrapping. He will tell you what can be engraved and how long it adds to dispatch.
How does TIGRITUDE III differ from YOLO III?
Both are hand-forged on a power hammer and deep acid etched, and both have an angled tip. TIGRITUDE III has a 20.8 cm kiritsuke blade, longer and with a straighter edge, and a handle of snakewood and dark rosewood; it weighs 185 g. YOLO III has a 16.8 cm santoku blade, taller and more compact, and a handle of three pieces of golden sandalwood; it weighs 183 g. If you want reach for long cuts and a knife that also covers fish and boneless meat, choose TIGRITUDE III; for a compact knife for onions, herbs and the day’s vegetables, choose YOLO III.
Why does TIGRITUDE III cost more than an ordinary VG10 Damascus knife?
The steel: not every steel sold as VG10 is the same, and ours is a cobalt-bearing VG10 that comes with a mill certificate, and we publish the figures on it. It is oil quenched and tempered to 62 HRC, and the edge is still ground by hand. The surface: the blade is stretched by hand on a power hammer and then deep etched, so you feel a real relief under your fingertips, not a printed or lasered pattern, and the mountain-range pattern is different on every knife. The finish: the tiger’s head and the name are engraved by EDM, every edge is ground by hand, and every knife is examined before it is approved.
Is TIGRITUDE III laser engraved?
TIGRITUDE III is finished by hand. The tiger’s head and the RICEKNIFE name are engraved directly into the blade by EDM, not laser. The RICEKNIFE and LINBECH logos on the left side are stamped into the steel. The mountain-range pattern on the flat of the blade comes from stretching the blade on the power hammer and is brought out by deep acid etching.
Is TIGRITUDE III hand-forged?
Yes. Each TIGRITUDE III blade is hand-forged and stretched on a power hammer, which leaves the mountain-range pattern in the steel. Deep acid etching then brings the pattern out as a relief you can feel, and the edge is ground by hand by Jacob and his team in the workshop.
Is every TIGRITUDE III the same?
No. Because the blade is stretched by hand on the power hammer, the mountain-range pattern falls differently on every knife, so no two blades share the same surface. The snakewood handle also varies from piece to piece. The knife you receive has its own pattern and its own handle, with a numbered certificate.
Is the VG10 in EX-ANIMO III standard VG10?
It is a cobalt-bearing VG10 steel, and it comes with a mill certificate that we keep. The certificate lists the core steel as C 1.10 %, Cr 14.56 %, Mo 0.84 %, Co 1.54 %, V 0.25 % and W 0.11 %. We publish these figures so you can compare them with any other knife yourself; we do not claim they are better than the standard.
Looking for a Japanese VG10 Damascus kiritsuke?
TIGRITUDE III gives you what people look for in a VG10 Damascus kiritsuke: a 20.8 cm blade with an angled tip, a cobalt-bearing VG10 core at 62 HRC, 73-layer Damascus and a hand-ground edge. It is designed in Denmark by RICEKNIFE, not made in Japan.
Is TIGRITUDE III a luxury knife? What makes it collectible?
A first release of 200, a numbered certificate with every knife, a tiger’s head engraved into the steel by EDM rather than printed on it, a hand-forged mountain-range pattern and a snakewood handle that are different on every knife, a hand-ground edge and a documented cobalt-bearing VG10 core. We call it functional art for the kitchen.
Would you prefer a quieter Scandinavian knife set?
For a more affordable set with a quieter Scandinavian expression, see the Raw Oak six-knife set.
How do I sharpen it?
On diamond stones, following Jacob’s videos. We sell three sharpening sets, each with its own video: Beginner, Chef and Professional. Start with the set that matches how often you cook, not how good you think you are.
How do I care for the blade and the snakewood and rosewood?
Wash by hand and dry straight away. No soaking, no dishwasher. Wood or suitable plastic board. No bones, frozen food or twisting. The snakewood and rosewood are already hand-finished with a wood wax Jacob Bech makes from organic beeswax and food-grade mineral oil, so routine oiling is not required; wipe the handle dry with the blade. Store the knife with its edge protected. Sharpen as needed on diamond stones; see Jacob’svideos.
Still have a question? Ask Jacob on WhatsApp. We usually reply within the hour during the day, Copenhagen time.