Santoku means three virtues - the ability to handle meat, fish, and vegetables with equal facility. At 170mm with the flat heel and gentle belly of the santoku profile, this is the compact all-purpose format that suits cooks who prefer a shorter, more maneuverable blade over a full-length gyuto. In Yu Kurosaki hands that format becomes something considerably more than a standard santoku. Kurosaki trained under Hiroshi Kato at Kanehiro Uchi Hamono in Echizen before opening his own workshop alongside his brother - over 20 years of production that has made him one of the most respected and sought-after blacksmiths working today. CKTG was the second international account he accepted after finishing his apprenticeship, a relationship that began over a decade ago.
The Shizuku santoku is built around an R2 powdered stainless core (the same steel as SG2, produced by Takefu Special Steel) hardened to 62 HRC and clad san mai in nashiji (pear skin) stainless steel. The nashiji texture on the blade road reduces food adhesion and gives the knife a distinctive visual character that changes in different light. The convex grind is the Kurosaki signature - it delivers superior food release and contributes to out-of-the-box sharpness that consistently ranks among the best in the CKTG catalog. At 170mm blade length and 46mm height it is precisely sized for the santoku format. Rosewood octagonal handle with black pakka wood ferrule.
Care Instructions: R2 powdered stainless is stainless but hard and chip-prone at high HRC. Use wood or rubber cutting boards only. Avoid bones, frozen foods, and hard materials. Hand wash and dry after each use. Strop regularly between sharpenings. Sharpen on quality water stones with consistent angle and light pressure.
The Shizuku santoku is built around an R2 powdered stainless core (the same steel as SG2, produced by Takefu Special Steel) hardened to 62 HRC and clad san mai in nashiji (pear skin) stainless steel. The nashiji texture on the blade road reduces food adhesion and gives the knife a distinctive visual character that changes in different light. The convex grind is the Kurosaki signature - it delivers superior food release and contributes to out-of-the-box sharpness that consistently ranks among the best in the CKTG catalog. At 170mm blade length and 46mm height it is precisely sized for the santoku format. Rosewood octagonal handle with black pakka wood ferrule.
Care Instructions: R2 powdered stainless is stainless but hard and chip-prone at high HRC. Use wood or rubber cutting boards only. Avoid bones, frozen foods, and hard materials. Hand wash and dry after each use. Strop regularly between sharpenings. Sharpen on quality water stones with consistent angle and light pressure.
- Blacksmith: Yu Kurosaki
- Location: Echizen, Japan
- Construction: San Mai, Hammer Forged
- Edge Steel: R2 (SG2) Powdered Stainless
- Cladding: Nashiji (Pear Skin) Stainless
- HRC: 62
- Edge Grind: Even Convex Double Bevel
- Engraving: Laser Engraved
- Handle: Rosewood Octagonal
- Ferrule: Black Pakka Wood
- Weight: 5.0 oz (142 g)
- Blade Length: 170mm
- Total Length: 314mm
- Spine Thickness at Base: 3mm
- Blade Height: 46mm
