Yoshimi Kato VG-10 Nickel Damascus Gyuto 240mm (9.4") Dark Purple Handle

• Style : Gyuto Knife
• Length : 240mm (9.4")
• Weight : 6.8 oz (193g)
• Special Feature : Nickel Damascus, San Mai
• Blade Steel Type : VG-10
• Handle material : Resin-Treated Compressed Wood
• HRC : 61
• Bevel Angle Ratio : 50/50
• Cover : Not included

Kato Hamono is known more commonly for their forged knives with thicker spines, sharp distal taper and rustic finish with a Japanese-style handle.
These VG-10 Nickel Damascus knives run counter to that; they have a much thinner spine, less taper and a beautiful matte black finish to the blades that accentuates the pattern-welded steel. These knives are quite thin at the edge and will excel at all cutting tasks given their excellent geometry. These knives are less blade-heavy and have a more centered balance-point than the Aogami Super line from Kato Hamono.

San-mai (lit. three sheets) is a style of manufacture common for Japanese knives. A more practical translation is "three layers", referring to the core hardened steel being jacketed with soft steel. These style of knives may seen being referred to as "clad" or "kasumi", which has some overlap with a similar style of manufacture called Ni-mai or "two layers". Ni-mai is commonly found in single bevel knives where the soft steel is only on one side of the knife with a small portion spilling over to the other side.

Yoshimi Kato knives are produced in Takefu knife village in Fukui Japan by a blacksmith collective headed by Yoshimi Kato, the son-in-law of Hiroshi Kato. Yoshimi Kato has stepped in to fill his father-in-law's shoes and has done so admirably, producing knives with a high level of attention to detail. Yoshimi Kato produces some of the most desirable carbon steel knives available in the United States today and we're excited to be carrying them.

The Gyuto (lit. Cow Sword) is an adaptation of the French chef knife profile for the Japanese market. While the name cow sword would imply that this knife is meant only for meat, its versatility is the same a santoku and can be used as a general-purpose knife for any task. Many would consider a gyuto or chef's knife to be the one essential knife for any kitchen with all other knives being secondary. Compared to a German style chef's knife, a gyuto will have a somewhat flatter profile: this profile lends itself well to push-cutting which is common for Japanese chefs, as opposed to rock-chopping. Gyuto also tend to be thinner at the edge as well as the spine than most European chef's knives and as a result, have the less lateral toughness and care should be taken not to torque the blade while cutting to minimize the risk of chipping.