Hayabusa Santoku Ginsanko 170mm (6.7″)

The Hayabusa Santoku Ginsanko 170mm is a versatile Japanese kitchen knife perfect for preparing meat, fish, and vegetables effortlessly. Its thin and precise blade, suitable for both professional chefs and home cooks, is crafted from Ginsanko steel (Silver Steel III) with a hardness of approximately 63 HRC. This steel provides outstanding rust resistance, easy maintenance, and exceptional edge retention, ensuring a reliable and long-lasting sharpness. It’s an excellent choice for anyone seeking a reliable and low-maintenance knife in the kitchen.

Fun fact: Hayabusa santoku shares its name with the peregrine falcon (ハヤブサ), the fastest member of the animal kingdom. This knife may not reach speeds upwards of 350 km/h, but chopping with it will feel just as fast.

BLADE SHAPE:
The Santoku knife, originating from Japan, is a versatile and multipurpose kitchen tool commonly found in Japanese households. It excels at various cutting and chopping tasks on the cutting board. 

The name “Santoku” derives from the Japanese word “San,” meaning “three,” representing the knife’s three virtues. It effortlessly handles three key ingredients: meat, fish, and vegetables. It is equally adept at slicing, chopping, and mincing, making it a versatile companion in the kitchen.

The Santoku knife is divided into three distinct parts. The tip is designed for intricate work, allowing for precise cuts. The cutting edge serves general cutting purposes, accommodating a range of tasks. Lastly, the heel of the knife is perfect for heavy-duty chopping.

With its rich heritage and versatile design, the Santoku knife is an indispensable tool for any kitchen, catering to a wide range of cutting needs with its three virtues.

*The length of the cutting edge is 170mm (heel to point), but with this knife the length is measured from the edge of the handle to the tip of the blade, amounting to 180mm.

STEEL:
Hitachi’s Silver III steel, also named Ginsan steel or Ginsanko, was hardened to around 63 HRC. Due to its high content of Chromium (Cr), Ginsan steel will resist corrosion very well. Despite it being a stainless steel, it feels and behaves very similarly to carbon steels, due to its extremely pure composition. 

LAMINATION:
The core layer consisting of the harder Ginsan steel was sandwiched between two 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. The cutting edge is sharpened to a 50/50 angle and stays sharp even after hours of constant use.

BLADE FINISH:
The minimalistic-looking, highly polished (also called migaki finish – see article Blade Construction: Blade Finish for more) blade is extremely thin, which allows the user to work precisely even with the smallest pieces of ingredients. 

HANDLE:
The Hayabusa Ginsanko collection features an octagon Japanese (Wa) style handle made out of wenge wood, complemented by an epoxy ferrule. The octagon shape of the handle provides a comfortable and secure grip, allowing for precise control during use. Wenge wood is known for its durability and attractive grain pattern, making it a popular choice for knife handles. The epoxy ferrule adds strength and stability to the handle, ensuring long-lasting performance.