Fujiwara Western Denka Santoku 165mm

The Denka no Hoto, which translates to ‘Treasured Family Sword,’ is made from Aogami Super, the undisputed king of knife steels. It keeps a ridiculous edge longer than almost any other Japanese knife steel and doesn’t rust nearly as easily as other high-carbon steels. 

Fujiwara-san knows that chefs hold their knives by the blade in a ‘pinch-grip,’ so he created an iconic notch at the back of the knife for one’s index or middle finger to rest in. His knives are a joy to wield all day long, making them the go-to for chefs and home cooks with a taste for the finer things.

At Knifewear, saying “I own a Fujiwara” is basically a secret handshake that tells everyone you have fantastic taste in knives. The Denka line is especially revered by knife nerds and is one of my favourite kitchen knives of all time. The Fujiwara family started as blacksmiths in 1870, first forging farm tools, then swords. Today, their name is one of the most revered in the world of Japanese knives.

About the Shape – This is also a multi purpose knife, but with a slight vegetable bias. Santoku means ‘Three Virtues’ or ‘To solve Three Problems’. The virtues or problems are slicing, dicing and mincing. Santoku is usually found in 160mm – 190mm lengths. These are more and more popular in Western kitchens due to the unique shape and smaller easy to handle size.