The santoku - three virtues, named for its ability to handle meat, fish, and vegetables - is the most popular knife format in Japanese home kitchens, and Katsuto Tanaka of Tanaka Kama Kogyo brings his 800-year-old Nagasaki blacksmithing lineage to bear on it here with HAP40 steel at the core. HAP40 is a semi-stainless powdered high-speed steel that CKTG calls Voodoo Steel: at 65-66 HRC it outlasts virtually every other steel between sharpenings, maintains semi-stainless corrosion resistance, and still sharpens on quality water stones without requiring specialized equipment. For a format that sees daily general use - the work that "three virtues" describes - an edge that stays sharp longer without demanding constant maintenance is a genuine practical advantage.
This 170mm version runs flat at the heel and picks up a gentle belly toward the tip - a geometry well suited to push-cutting techniques rather than rocking styles. At 4.4 oz and 47mm blade height it has comfortable board clearance in a pinch grip and enough blade mass to handle sustained prep without fatigue. The san mai construction encases the HAP40 core in stainless cladding, and the migaki (polished) finish keeps the blade looking clean through hard use. The rosewood western handle is well proportioned to the blade. No reviews are currently available; the performance characteristics are consistent with the rest of the Matsubara HAP40 line.
Care Instructions: HAP40 is semi-stainless - hand wash and dry after use. Avoid the dishwasher. Use wood or rubber boards and avoid bones and frozen foods to protect the refined edge. Sharpen on quality water stones and strop regularly.
This 170mm version runs flat at the heel and picks up a gentle belly toward the tip - a geometry well suited to push-cutting techniques rather than rocking styles. At 4.4 oz and 47mm blade height it has comfortable board clearance in a pinch grip and enough blade mass to handle sustained prep without fatigue. The san mai construction encases the HAP40 core in stainless cladding, and the migaki (polished) finish keeps the blade looking clean through hard use. The rosewood western handle is well proportioned to the blade. No reviews are currently available; the performance characteristics are consistent with the rest of the Matsubara HAP40 line.
Care Instructions: HAP40 is semi-stainless - hand wash and dry after use. Avoid the dishwasher. Use wood or rubber boards and avoid bones and frozen foods to protect the refined edge. Sharpen on quality water stones and strop regularly.
- Brand: Matsubara
- Blacksmith: Katsuto Tanaka, Tanaka Kama Kogyo
- Location: Omura City, Nagasaki, Japan
- Construction: San Mai
- Steel: HAP40 Semi-Stainless
- Cladding: Stainless
- Finish: Migaki (Polished)
- HRC: 65-66
- Edge Grind: Even 50/50
- Handle: Rosewood Western
- Weight: 4.4 oz (126 g)
- Blade Length: 171mm
- Spine Thickness at Heel: 1.8mm
- Blade Height: 47mm
