What is a hamon?

A hamon is a Japanese term originating from traditional sword-making, literally meaning: blade pattern. It is a visual effect (with practical application) created manually during the heat treating process which involves hardening the blade at different rates. This process is called “differential hardening”. By covering parts of the spine with clay, it takes longer to harden and remains softer than the cutting edge of the blade—great for heavy-use knives that need a durable back yet a hard edge with good retention.