Etsu Village Hammered Santoku 170mm (6.7″)

A rough translation of “Etsu” means happy, or better, self-satisfaction. It is indeed satisfying to cut veggies, meat, or fish with this Santoku with visible traces of hammer. 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.

The core of this Santoku is made of VG-1 stainless steel, a younger cousin of more wide-spread VG-10 steel. VG-1 steel is clad into a softer layer of stainless steel, where visible traces of hammer are left to give it a unique look. 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.

This Santoku was fitted a yo-style, Western-type handle made of mahogany 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.

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 add a coin with your present).

☝️Extra trivia: Etsu village refers to the “village” of four Japanese cities, Fukui, Ishikawa, Toyama and Niigata, known for their knife making history.