Yoshida Hamono Kyusakichi Kyusakichi 69 Layered Damascus ZA-18 Steel Blade 18cm Santoku Knife

Inner core of ZA-18 Steel

69 layers of Damascus cladding

Traditional Rosewood handle – D shaped

Hand-forged by Osamu-San of Yoshida Hamono

Made on Kyushu Island, Japan

To start with the ZA-18 steel is user friendly and has rust-resistant properties that make it easy to care for. The Alloy composition of ZA-18 is made up of cobalt, molybdenum, chromium with a carbon content that is slightly higher than the level found in VG-10, giving the blade a higher resistance to corrosion and a touch more strength and durability. VG-10 being the steel of choice for most of the blacksmiths that make up the Takefu Knife Village. The steel is tempered to give a hardness of around 61-62HRC. The ZA-18 Damascus Santoku is a superb, versatile kitchen knife with great balance, incredible sharpness, resistance to rust, easy to maintain and to sharpen, with beautiful 69-layered Damascus patterning. The handles are a beautiful Rosewood asymmetrical D-Shape. The ZA-18 Damascus Santoku is made by the leading blacksmith of Yoshida Hamono, Osamu-San. The blades are decorated with 69 layers of Damascus patterning. The Santoku blade is the all-purpose kitchen knife that is mostly used in Japanese households, it can cut through meat, fish and veggies making it a go-to knife for most kitchen tasks.