Kotetsu Sujihiki VG-10 Damascus 240mm (9.5″) [pakka Wood]

The Kotetsu Sujihiki VG-10 Damascus 240mm (9.5″) is designed for long, precise cuts, perfect for slicing medium-sized fish and meats. Suitable for both home cooks and professional chefs, this knife features visible hammer marks, a beautiful Damascus pattern, and a classic Japanese (wa-style) pakka wood handle. It’s sure to impress anyone who values aesthetics and craftsmanship in their kitchen tools.

The knife is extremely thin so it will slide through meat and fish with ease, and the choice of VG-10 stainless steel ensures rust resistance, durability, and wear resistance. Because it is low-maintenance, it is suitable as a first Japanese kitchen knife, and due to its exceptional value for money, it also makes a great gift for your favorite cooking enthusiasts.

BLADE SHAPE:
This design allows for smooth, even cuts through large items like roasts, poultry, or fish without tearing or shredding. The length helps achieve long, continuous slicing motions, while the narrow width reduces friction and makes it easier to produce thin, precise slices. The name “sujihiki” translates into “flesh slicer” and with its sharp and effective form it is exactly that. The long and narrow blade is particularly useful for slicing meat or boneless fish, or for filleting and skinning fish.

Historically, sujihiki knives were used by Japanese chefs to slice and prepare fish and meat for traditional dishes like sashimi and sushi. The long blade of sujihiki knives is perfect for the job, as it allows the meat or fish to be cut in a single drawing motion, from heel to tip.

*The smithy marked the length of the cutting edge as 240mm (9.5″), but we measured a bit more – approximately 248mm (9.8″).

STEEL:
VG-10 is currently the most popular Japanese steel. When deciding between the steels from which we want to make a knife, we consider properties such as hardness, ability to maintain sharpness, ease of maintenance, grain of the steel, ease of sharpening, and, ultimately, price and availability. VG-10 (V for Vanadium, G for “gold”, denoting superior quality) is produced by Takefu Special Steel Company, a relatively small company that managed to find just the right balance between the various elements that make up today’s most popular Japanese steel. VG-10 is a relatively high (1%) carbon (C), 15% chromium (Cr), 1% molybdenum (Mo), 0.3% vanadium (V) and 1.5% cobalt (Co) stainless steel. The combination of Cr, Mo and V forms a lot of hard carbides, which gives the steel resistance to abrasion and consequently better retention of sharpness.

LAMINATION:
The blade consists of 17 layers of steel. Steels with high hardness have many advantages, but because of their hardness, they are more brittle and thus more susceptible to damage. Blades made of such steels are therefore laminated using the san-mai method, thereby improving their structural integrity and consequently resistance to various impacts and other physical factors that could lead to damage. San-mai means “three layers” in Japanese and refers to a blade that consists of a primary inner layer of harder steel (hagane) and two outer layers of softer steel (jigane) that are made up of multiple layers.

BLADE GEOMETRY:
The blade is double-bevel (symmetrical) and extremely thin, which is key to preparing food with minimal damage to the cell membranes of the ingredients. This enables greater preservation of the taste and appearance of the food.
The thickness of the blade largely determines the sharpness of the knife, as well as easier and faster sharpening.

BLADE FINISH:
The blade stands out because of its hammer impressions that were added across the top of the blade, in combination with a damascus pattern. The wavy shinogi line runs along the cutting edge and marks the boundary between the layers.
Hammer patterns are called tsuchime. Air is trapped in the air pockets during cutting, which helps the blade slide through the food without sticking, which enables fast and accurate food preparation.

HANDLE:
The knife has a classic Japanese handle (wa-style) made of pakka wood. The slightly flattened octagonal shape of the handle helps it align well with the cutting board, and its symmetrical shape makes it suitable for both left- and right-handed users. Its compact and firm grip minimizes the possibility of slipping, which is essential when working with raw fish or meat.

SMITHY:
The Yasuda Hamono smithy has been operating since 1957. It is located in the city of Seki (Gifu Prefecture), which is the cradle of blacksmithing in Japan. They are dedicated to research and development, tirelessly perfecting heat treatment and grinding techniques to make the most of the unique characteristics of different steels when making knives. This dedication to knife making has carried over from the original “Sakusaku” brand to brands such as Seki Kotetsu, Gen Kotetsu, and Kotetsu. Knives are the work of dedicated hands of craftsmen who have a deep love and respect for their craft. Due to its geographical location and natural resources, Seki has been a place where blacksmithing has been perfected for more than 800 years and is known throughout the world as the home of the modern Japanese knife industry. Namely, the blacksmiths of this area transferred the ancient knowledge of forging katanas into kitchen knives.