Etsu Village Knife // Matte Damascus

Meet the SharpEdge Edition of Etsu Village Santoku Knife. The top part of the blade unpolished with a matte finish to prevent the food from sticking to the blade. The shape and geometry of the blade remain the same as Masutani's other santoku knives.

This Santoku can be used as a main, multi-purpose knife in your kitchen. It is suitable for cutting veggies, meat and fish, and features a very thin spine that allows it to slide through food with ease.

The core of this Santoku is made of VG-1 stainless steel— the younger cousin of more widespread VG-10 steel— and clad into a layer of softer steel, which gives the knife a beautiful Damascus pattern. Compared to VG-10, VG-1 is slightly tougher steel, but with a bit less wear resistance. Due to a very thin grind, VG-1 steel is exposed at the very bottom of the blade (the curvy, hamon-like line). This knife was forged to a hardness of around 60 HRC, which offers satisfying edge retention and is easy to resharpen.

Fitted a wa-style, traditional Japanese handle made of walnut wood, this Japanese handle reduces the weight and moves the balance of the knife more towards the tip of the blade. Lighter knives are not only easier to handle, they allow for a better pinch grip, which gives the user more control of the blade.