Santoku

Santoku with a 172 mm long blade.

Steel: Stainless VG-10 with 2 layers of stainless cladding (HRC: 60-62)
Edge length: 172 mm
Blade height: 44 mm
Spine thickness: 2 mm
Weight: 135 grams
Blade finish: Mirror-polished tsuchime with a misty transition to the polished core steel.
Handle: Mono ebony

This knife series is the result of close collaboration between Hatsukokoro and one of the largest and most respected knife manufacturers in Seki City, Japan. We are incredibly impressed with this knife series, which offers both a beautiful finish and very thin, fine edges with consistent quality. We highly recommend this knife!

The blade is made of high-performance VG10 stainless steel. Around the core steel are 2 layers of softer steel that have been hammer-beaten (tsuchime) and mirror-polished. The shiny finish transitions to a misty kireha, meeting the polished core steel and creating a pleasing contrast. The handle is octagonal and made of ebony.

Important:
Please note that the edge is hard and very thin. Therefore, be careful not to subject the edge to stress, especially sideways. When using a Japanese knife with a thin blade, the edge must always be in motion when cutting. Under no circumstances should you push the blade through an ingredient without the edge being in motion. Nor should you twist or wiggle the blade to pry the ingredient apart.

If you press, twist, or wiggle the blade – in short, force it – sideways stress on the thin edge can easily occur. An edge usually withstands quite a lot when cutting straight down while moving forward or backward. This is because you have the entire blade above the edge supporting it, absorbing and distributing the stress. With a sideways force, only the paper-thin edge is present, and very little material to absorb and distribute the force. The hard edge will therefore flex as much as it can, but when the load becomes too great, a chip will come out of the edge, or a piece of the tip will break off. We often see damage of this type if you cut hard cheeses, avocado pits, frozen fillets, bones, butternut, etc.