The Santoku is the most popular knife in the Japanese home and considered to be an all rounder in the kitchen. The meaning of Santoku is the “three virtues” in Japanese and is a reference to its multi purpose and versatility. It can be used to prepare fish, chicken and most fruits and vegetables but is too small for large food items like watermelons and bigger cuts of meat. The Santoku is great as an alternative if you have a larger chef’s knife as most Santokus come in at around 165mm to 180mm its easy to handle and has a snubbed nose to it.

Sakai Takayuki non-stick coating VG10 “Kurokage” knives are finished with fluorine resin giving a mate black finish to the blade. In addition to this the blade has been hammered to give it texture that prevents further foods sticking to the blade and encourages the no stick function. The core blade is VG10 with a rockwell hardness of around 60 -61 which is typical in most Sakai Takayuki VG10 ranges. Handles are more traditional Japanese Octagonal Wenge wood with a Buffalo horn ferrule and give these knives a very light feel in the hand.