Yuki Santoku. Masakage knives are made by the great Hiroshi Kato. This well respected blade master is one of the founders of the Takefu Knife Village co-operative. This is just one of several lines of knives he makes which also includes the popular Kanehiro brand.
Kato-san fashions the Yuki line out of the popular and well loved White, or Shirogami, #2 steel. In this case, hardened to 62-63 HRC. This a wonderful alloy for kitchen knives exhibiting the ability to take a super sharp cutting edge. Of course this high carbon steel is also extremely reactive. To aid in maintenance and increase strength and lightness, the inner core is then covered with a layer of softer stainless steel. This outer layer is then given a very attractive nashiji (pear skin) finish.
The santoku is rapidly becoming a favorite knife style in many western kitchens. It has the all round cutting and slicing ability of a gyuto with the extra height and shorter blade of a nakiri. It is a dexterous knife that finds itself used in many situations. Santoku translates to three virtues and the acts of slicing, chopping, and dicing are tackled with aplomb by this classic design.
Brand: Masakage
Blacksmith: Kato San
Location: Takefu Village, Echizen, Japan
Construction: San Mai, Hammer Forged
Cladding: Nashiji Stainless
Edge Steel: White #2
Edge Grind: Even (See Choil Shot)
Handle: Oval Magnolia
Ferrule: Red Dyed Pakka Wood
Weight: 4.8 ounces
Blade Length: 171 mm
Overall Length: 316 mm
Spine Thickness at Base: 3.7 mm
Blade Height: 46.1 mm
Edge Steel: White #2
Cladding: Stainless Nashiji
Handle: Oval
Reviews
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Great knife both functionally and aesthetically., April 23, 2018
Posted By: Jacky Wu
Picked this up because I wanted a nice shorter knife due to space. It is really sharp OOB and the stainless steel cladding makes maintenance much easier. White