A santoku trades the length of a gyuto for a shorter, broader blade, well suited to slicing, dicing, and chopping in one compact package. This 165mm version comes from Makoto Kurosaki, brother of fellow CKTG blacksmith Yu Kurosaki, who chose his own first name as a brand since Yu had already claimed the Kurosaki name.
The handle is an octagonal cherry wood, a nod to sakura, the cherry tree celebrated in Japan each spring, paired with a maple ferrule and a tsuchime, or hammered, finish over the cladding. The core is SG2 powdered stainless steel, hardened to about 62 to 63 HRC, capable of feeling almost carbon like when forged well, very hard while still holding an edge for a long stretch. SG2 carries higher wear resistance than most knife steels yet sharpens more easily than typical stainless options, and the core is clad san mai style in a soft stainless steel with a hairline polish beneath the hammered finish.
Care Instructions:SG2 is stainless but hard and can chip at this hardness level, so use only wood or soft plastic cutting boards and avoid bones, frozen foods, or other hard materials. Hand wash and dry the blade after use, and strop the edge regularly between full sharpenings to keep it performing at its best on quality water stones.
The handle is an octagonal cherry wood, a nod to sakura, the cherry tree celebrated in Japan each spring, paired with a maple ferrule and a tsuchime, or hammered, finish over the cladding. The core is SG2 powdered stainless steel, hardened to about 62 to 63 HRC, capable of feeling almost carbon like when forged well, very hard while still holding an edge for a long stretch. SG2 carries higher wear resistance than most knife steels yet sharpens more easily than typical stainless options, and the core is clad san mai style in a soft stainless steel with a hairline polish beneath the hammered finish.
Care Instructions:SG2 is stainless but hard and can chip at this hardness level, so use only wood or soft plastic cutting boards and avoid bones, frozen foods, or other hard materials. Hand wash and dry the blade after use, and strop the edge regularly between full sharpenings to keep it performing at its best on quality water stones.
- Brand: Makoto
- Blacksmith: Makoto Kurosaki
- Location: Takefu Village, Echizen, Japan
- Construction: San Mai, Hammer Forged
- Quenching: Water Quenched
- Edge Steel: SG2 Powdered Stainless Steel
- Cladding: Stainless Steel
- HRC: 62-63
- Finish: Tsuchime (Hammered)
- Edge Grind: Even
- Handle: Cherry Octagonal (Sakura means Cherry Tree)
- Ferrule: Maple
- Weight: 4.0 oz (114 g)
- Blade Length: 165 mm
- Total Length: 306 mm
- Spine Thickness at Base: 2 mm
- Blade Height: 48 mm
