Shirou-Kunimitsu Blue Steel No.2 Natural Beauty Series SKB-2 Wa Santoku 180mm (7 Inch)

 SHIROU-KUNIMITSU is genuine Japanese sword smithing Mr. Komiya family in Fukuoka Prefecture (Kyushu Island) — A real family of artisans, who are devoting their life and energy to inheriting and preserving the Japanese sword making and knife making traditions that have been maintained by their family since the year 1786. Currently, a total of 4 genuine sword smiths are passionately working together to create the finest Japanese swords, and kitchen knives with outstanding cutting performance and practicality. 

WABI-SABI (侘寂) is the best way to succinctly describe the characteristics of SHIROU-KUNIMITSU’s handmade, traditional hammer forged knives. WABI-SABI  is a Japanese aesthetic / sensibility that suggests there is beauty within simplicity, imperfection and impermanence.

For their first collection, SHIROU-KUNIMITSU introduced Kurouchi-finished, White Steel No.2 knives — traditional forged blades that impressed many of our customers with their sharpness, cutting ability, and the originality and uniqueness to SHIROU-KUNIMITSU craftsmanship.

For this time of new knife collections, we have worked closely with the SHIROU-KUNIMITSU to create functional, minimalist knives while preserving the Shirou Kunimitsu brand’s core values: exceptional sharpness and cutting performance, and the spirit of WABI-SABI.

Natural beauty. Traditional simplicity. These are the guiding concepts behind the new SHIROU-KUNIMITSU knives.

 The Hitachi Blue Steel No. 2 high carbon steel blade core is sandwiched between two layers of soft iron. In addition to increasing the toughness of the blade, the soft iron also makes the blade easier to sharpen than an unlaminated, solid steel blade.

刀匠四郎國光 – “Forged and Handcrafted by Swordsmith Shirou Kunimitsu” – on the beautifully hand-polished blade.

For serious home cooks and professional chefs who demand exceptional cutting performance, Shirou Kunimitsu has created these simple, functional knives.

Behind their outstanding sharpness lies the philosophy and craftsmanship that define the Shirou Kunimitsu approach to knife making.

Shirou-Kunimitsu knives have a 50/50 blade grind and a simple edge shape. Each knife is carefully ground by hand and is then hand sharpened with a water-cooled whetstone wheel to create an even, natural and specially tapered 50/50 edge shape. Both sides of the blade have a SHINOGI line (The line that is created where the ground blade bevel and the blade face / side meet), below the SHINOGI you can see the expert hand grinding and hand sharpening of the specially tapered 50/50 blade bevels and the handcrafted, custom created edge shape.

Since there is no secondary bevel or micro-bevel, we found the simple bevel geometry of these knives was very easy to hand sharpen with a whetstones and the 50/50 blade bevels naturally guided us to create an outstandingly sharp edge. The cutting performance of the knife also impressed us and we could feel it cut deeply in to the foods that we tested. We noted that while these knives might appear to be a simple and rustic looking, they are actually very sophisticated, very practical and thoughtfully designed products — Products that could only be made by an experienced, sophisticated forge smith. 

This Wa Santoku Knife comes with a classic Octagonal Japanese Magnolia Wood Wa Handle, which has a Water Buffalo Horn Ferrule.

The tall blade and rounded nose / tip of the Santoku make it a versatile knife that is well suited to cutting meat, fish, or vegetables; Hence it’s name, which literally means “Three-purpose”. The Santoku is often recommended as a multi-purpose kitchen knife. 

 A Note About Sharpening Shiro-Kunimitsu Knives: Please do not add a micro-bevel, as this can lead to micro-chipping of the already fine, sharp cutting edge. To maintain the flat factory bevel and bevel angle, we recommend placing the whole bevel flat on the whetstone and applying finger pressure between the cutting edge and Shinogi (The line formed by the bevel and main blade face / cheek) during each sharpening stroke. Please use the same number of sharpening strokes on each side of the knife and de-burr the wire-edge using very light finger pressure, alternating between bevels every few strokes until it is removed.

Specification

Knife Model: Shirou-Kunimitsu Blue Steel No.2 Natural Beauty Wa Santoku

Blade Material: Blue Steel No.2

Rockwell Hardness (HRc): 62

Blade Grind and Edge Shape: Double Bevel Edge 50/50

Handle Material: Octagonal Magnolia Wood Handle with Water Buffalo Ferrules

Saya Included: No.