The Santoku is a versatile, all-purpose knife that excels in precision cutting, making it a staple in both professional and home kitchens. The name “Santoku” translates to “three virtues,” referring to its ability to handle slicing, dicing, and chopping with ease. With its shorter, wider blade and a flat cutting edge, the Santoku is designed for a more up-and-down chopping motion, making it an excellent alternative to the Gyuto, especially for those who prefer a more compact knife.

Unlike a Gyuto, which has a pronounced curve for rocking cuts, the Santoku features a straighter edge, allowing for clean, precise cuts with minimal horizontal movement. The sheep’s foot tip provides extra control for delicate slicing, while the wide blade makes it easy to scoop up chopped ingredients.

Kaijin (怪人) most commonly means a "mysterious person" "strange person" or "phantom" often referring to humanoid monsters or villains with strange powers in anime, manga, and tokusatsu shows like Kamen Rider or One-Punch Man. It can also mean "sea person" (海人) for aquatic creatures, or refer to "ashes/embers" (灰燼) depending on the kanji used, but the "strange person" meaning is most prevalent in pop culture.

Aogami 2 (also known as Blue Paper Steel #2) is a high carbon steel known for exceptional hardness and long lasting edge with ease of sharpening, It is a versatile steel with a carbon content around 1-1.2%. A key characteristic of this high-carbon steel is its tendency to oxidize and develop a patina over time, which is countered here by stainless steel cladding.

Weight: 157g

Handle Material: Mono African ebony wa handle

Handle Length: 130mm (5")

Blade Length: 173mm (6.8") Cutting edge

Blade Depth: 48mm

Thickness at spine: 1.8mm

Thickness at tip: 0.2mm

Cutting Edge: Double 50/50

Blade Material: Aogami 2 core with stainless cladding