Tsunehisa Santoku VG-10 Damascus Tsuchime 185mm (7.3")

Tsunehisa Santoku VG-10 Damascus Tsuchime 185mm is a versatile Japanese kitchen knife for everyday chopping, slicing, and light rocking cuts on the board. The VG-10 stainless steel is easy to maintain, holds its edge well, and sharpens nicely on whetstones. The blade features a beautiful combination of damascus pattern and tsuchime hammer marks, giving it a distinctive Japanese look. Easy to use, easy to care for, and practical for daily cooking, this knife is an excellent first Japanese knife or a thoughtful gift. BLADE SHAPE: Santoku is one of the most versatile Japanese blade shapes and a practical choice for everyday cooking. Its wide profile gives good knuckle clearance and makes it easy to transfer chopped ingredients from the board to the pan. The flatter section near the heel is ideal for quick chopping, while the gently curved belly allows light rocking motions. The pointed tip is useful for more precise tasks, such as trimming, piercing, or delicate cuts. Santoku works especially well for vegetables, meat, and fish, making it a reliable all-purpose knife for home and professional kitchens. STEEL: VG-10 (V for Vanadium, G for "gold" as in "gold standard") is made by Takefu Special Steel Company, a relatively small steel company that around 60 years ago managed to find just the right balance of different elements to create the most popular Japanese knife making steel today. VG-10 steel is stainless steel with relatively high Carbon (C) content (1%), 15% Chromium (Cr), 1% Molybdenum (Mo), 0.3% Vanadium (V) and 1.5% Cobalt (Co). The combination of Cr, Mo, and V forms a lot of hard carbides, making the steel abrasion resistant which translates to long-lasting, smooth sharpness. LAMINATION: The blade consists of multiple layers of steel which are forged welded together in what is known a san-mai damascus construction. This technique is used to protect the hard (but delicate) core from outside factors, such as rust and physical impacts, which could lead to breakage. GEOMETRY: It has a double bevel (symmetrical) blade. BLADE FINISH: The upper part of the blade features a hammered pattern, which then transform into an intricate damascus finish that flows down to the cutting edge. The blade was treated with hammer blows, resulting in a textured tsuchime look, which gives it a beautiful finish and also prevents food from sticking to the blade. HANDLE: Japanese (Wa) style rosewood handle will fit well in your hands for both the hammer and pinch grip. It has a black pakka wood ferrule. ABOUT THE BLACKSMITH: Tsunehisa is a brand that combines a variety of high quality knives from different knife centers in Japan such as Tosa, Seki and Sakai. Their philosophy is that each region has its own steel and different manufacturing processes. For example, Tosa is known for its Ginsanko and Aus-8 steels, Seki is famous for producing excellent blades from the V-Gold steel group, and Sakai for its single-edged Honyaki knives.