Yoshimi Kato VG-10 Nickel Damascus Santoku 175mm (6.9") Dark Purple Handle

• Style : Bunka Knife
• Length : 175mm (6.9")
• Weight : 5.3 oz (150g)
• 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.

Santoku in Japanese transliterates as "three virtues" so they are otherwise known as "three purpose" knives. The three purposes which a Santoku is meant to fulfill is cutting meat, vegetables and fish. Its diminutive size and unique shape have made it very popular at home not only in Japan but in the United States as well as more and more home cooks are finding its versatility appealing without committing to a larger or more specialized knife.