Etsu Village Gyuto Damascus Black 180mm (7.1″)

Blacksmith Masutani is known as an incredibly good knife sharpener, and his knives are no different. With their very thin spine (around 1.8mm) these knives will slide through food with ease.

BLADE SHAPE:
This smaller Gyuto Chef’s knife (more common Gyuto sizes are 210 and 240mm in blade length) will be a great all rounder for your kitchen, suitable for users who are not used to handle larger and longer knives. Due to the shorter length, it can also be used for more precise work. With its classic shape, it will cut through veggies, meat and fish.

STEEL:
The core of this Gyuto is made of VG-1 stainless steel, a younger cousin of more wide-spread VG-10 steel, and clad into a layer of softer steel, which gives the knife a beautiful Damascus pattern (those curved lines that look like the growth rings of a tree). Compared to VG-10, VG-1 is slightly tougher steel, but with a bit less wear resistance. Due to a very thin grind, VG-1 steel is exposed at the very bottom of the blade (the curvy, hamon-like line). This knife was forged to a hardness of around 60 HRC, which offers a satisfying edge retention and is easy to resharpen.

LAMINATION:
The core layer consisting of VG-1 steel was sandwiched between 5 layers of softer steel. This technique is called san-mai and is used to protect the hard (but delicate) core from outside factors and physical impacts, which could lead to breakage.

GEOMETRY:
It has a double bevel (symmetrical) blade.

BLADE FINISH:
The blade sports a beautiful 6-layer Damascus finish.

HANDLE:
This Gyuto was fitted a yo-style, Western-type handle made of black pakka wood, and features a stainless bolster. The knife tang ends halfway through the handle, further reducing the weight of the knife and pushing the balance more towards the tip of the blade, like with wa-style, traditional Japanese handles. The handle will fit well in your hands for both the hammer and pinch grip.

ABOUT THE BLACKSMITH:
Etsu village refers to the “village” of four Japanese cities, Fukui, Ishikawa, Toyama and Niigata, known for their knife making history. A rough translation of “Etsu” in Japanese means happy, or better, self-satisfaction. Overall, knives from Mr. Masutani offer a stunning price-performance ratio. They are a great choice for passionate home cooks who are starting to explore the beautiful world of Japanese knives. These knives will fit well into the hands of student chefs, and will also make a great gift—just don’t forget to attach a coin along with the knife.