Sakai Takayuki Santoku

The hammered finish, often called tsuchime, creates small air pockets between the blade and the food you are cutting. This helps reduce friction and prevents ingredients from sticking to the side of the knife, allowing for smoother, faster chopping.

While the handle is made of steel, it is designed with ergonomics in mind to provide a secure grip. However, if you frequently work with wet or oily hands, you may find that a wooden or textured composite handle offers slightly more traction than this smooth steel design.

VG10 is a high-carbon stainless steel known for its ability to hold a very sharp edge for a long time. It is harder than standard kitchen knife steel, which means it requires less frequent sharpening but can be more brittle, so it should be used on wooden or plastic cutting boards rather than glass or stone.

The 33 layers refer to the Damascus-style cladding surrounding the core VG10 steel. This layering process adds structural integrity and durability to the blade, helping to protect the harder, sharper core steel from chipping or snapping during regular kitchen use.

No, this knife is designed for precision tasks like slicing, dicing, and mincing vegetables, fruits, and boneless meats. Using it on bones, frozen foods, or hard rinds can chip the fine edge of the VG10 steel.

To maintain the edge, we recommend using a whetstone for sharpening rather than a pull-through manual sharpener, which can be too aggressive for this type of steel. Honing the blade regularly with a fine ceramic rod will help keep the edge aligned between sharpenings.