Yoshida Santoku Funayuki SUJ-2 Kuro-uchi 155mm (6.1") [Rosewood-Cedar/Octagon]

This Yoshida Santoku Funayuki SUJ-2 Kuro-uchi 155mm (6.1") blade is fitted with an octagonal rosewood handle, topped with a cedar wood ferrule. It is also available without a handle (in case you would like to fit it with a custom handle of your choice).

The price of this knife is very affordable for the quality of a hand-forged knife. The blade is forged from SUJ-2 steel, which offers incredible capacities, hardness is 63-64 HRC, and at the same time, the knife is very easy to resharpen. The blade requires some extra maintenance. After use, rinse it well and dry it. The name kuro-uchi refers to the blade finish, which is unprocessed on top and has already developed a dark patina, which protects the blade from rust.

BLADE PROFILE:
Yoshida Santoku Funayuki SUJ-2 Kuro-uchi is a versatile kitchen knife that will excel at all kinds of chopping and cutting on the cutting board, only missing an inch of length when it comes to large cuts of meat. The Funayuki differs from the basic Santoku knife in the shape of the blade: the slope of the blade slowly rises towards the tip of the knife, creating a slight curve in the belly of the blade. This loses the standard Santoku blade shape, which resembles a sheep's foot, and creates a thinner blade that resembles a deba in shape, but is extremely thin and precise (and not suitable for chopping bones and robust tasks). The curve makes the knife more suitable for certain chopping techniques, such as rocking. The pronounced tip and triangular design will be great for cutting smaller pieces of meat and filleting fish.

The word Funayuki means "going on boat" and was designed for use on board fishing boats to allow fishermen to quickly cut and clean fish and check the quality of the catch.

STEEL:
The blade is forged in SUJ-2 steel, which offers incredible capacities, hardness is 63-64 HRC, and at the same time, the knife is very easy to resharpen. The blade requires some extra maintenance. After use, rinse it well and dry it.

LAMINATION:
The blade’s core was laminated using the san-mai method to improve its structural integrity and subsequent ability to withstand impacts and prevent chipping. San-mai translates to “three layers” in Japanese, referring to a blade that is composed of a primary, inner layer of harder steel (hagane) and of two secondary, outer layers of softer steel (jigane) that protect the prior.
→ Read more on Blade Construction: Lamination.

GEOMETRY:
It has a double bevel (symmetrical) blade (50/50) with a convex v-edge grind.

BLADE FINISH:
The blade sports a raw kurouchi finish which gives it a rustic appearance. The stamp on the blade 吉 (Kichi) means luck.

HANDLE:
The blade is fitted with a traditional Japanese wa hande in an octagonal shape. It is made from rosewood and topped with a ferrule made from cedar wood.

SMITHY:
Yoshida Hamono is a family-owned Japanese company with an age-long tradition in manufacturing state-of-the-art tools and Japanese swords (katanas) by hand. The company has a workshop in the Japanese town of Saga. It is well-known for manufacturing metal products in tested corrosion-resistant materials, such as VG-10, Ginsan and Swedish steel. You can learn more about them and our visit to their workshop here.