Masutani VG10 Damascus Western Santoku 165mm

About Masutani –  Masutani Hamono has been producing high-quality kitchen knives for four generations in Echizen city. Their goal is to create high-quality blades at an accessible price point for anyone, and they’ve nailed it. Their blades are super accessible and cut like a dream, being lovingly shaped, polished, and handled by grandfather, father, and son. 

Working with stainless steels such as VG10 and VG1 ensures they take and keep an edge just as well as some of the fancier Japanese knives out there but aren’t as fragile or prone to rust as knives made from high-carbon steel. This furthers their accessibility, making them a valuable tool for anyone who wants to upgrade their kitchen toolkit. Typically finished with a Western-style riveted handle, called a ‘yo-handle’ in Japan, they have a confident feel without being as heavy as many Western-style knives. They feel well-balanced for professionals, home cooks, and even burnt-out retired chefs like me.

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.