Santoku knife, Shirogami 2 with stainless steel cladding, Kurouchi and Nashiji finish - Mutsumi Hinoura

A fantastic knife from Mutsumi Hinoura, the son of Sanjo knife maker Master Tsukasa Hinoura. The demand for his kitchen knives is very high and they are incredibly hard to get hold of. Luckily, during our last trip to Japan, we got to meet Mutsumi-san and his father. From this trip we were able to start building a relationship and we're pleased to say we now have some of his knives in stock.

SHAPE: Santoku. Named after the three best things to do with this knife - slicing, dicing and mincing. It is the classic veg prep knife with both good breadth and width. 

STEEL: Shirogami (white) 2 steel. It is a reactive carbon steel which is easy to sharpen and holds an edge well. This steel is often chosen for traditional-style Japanese knives. Care must be taken to keep these knives dry as they will rust easily. It is worth noting that this knife has been clad in stainless steel meaning only the exposed core edge will discolour making maintenance a lot easier.

FINISH: Nashiji or pear skin finish. This matt and mottled finish helps with food release and looks very rustic.

Kurouchi. This is a black scale that is left on the knife from the forging process.

HANDLE: Octagonal Burnt Chestnut handle with a buffalo horn ferrule.

LENGTH: 165mm in length 

MAKER: Mutsumi Hinoura - Sanjo, Japan

BEST FOR: A great knife connected to a long history of knife making in the Hinoura family

SAUNDERS SAYS: "it has to be pound for pound one of the best knives going at the moment”