[SET] Tsunehisa VG-10 Damascus Tsuchime [Petty + Gyuto]

The Tsunehisa VG-10 Damascus Tsuchime is a set consisting of two of Japan’s main kitchen knives.

• a multi-purpose gyuto, which will be able to tackle the majority of produce – meat, fish and vegetables,
• a smaller petty knife, essential for all the delicate tasks, such as peeling, paring and other precise work.

Tsunehisa has combined the tried-and-tested shapes with a unique damascus and tsuchime blade finish and exceptional stainless steel (VG-10 with a hardness of 60-61 HRC!), and for the icing on the cake, the blade is fitted with a durable rosewood handle with a black pakka wood ferrule.

BLADE SHAPES:
Gyuto: Gyuto is the most versatile and useful blade shape in the modern kitchen. It has a wide profile with an extra height clearance for easy food transfer and tends to be fairly flat towards the heel, enabling easy and fast chopping on the cutting board. A pointed tip allows piercing and precise, delicate work. A slight curve between the tip and the midsection makes the belly great for rocking the blade back and forth when cutting. It can be used for cutting meat, fish and vegetables. 
Petty: A petty knife should be an essential part of every kitchen. Petty knives are basically smaller versions of Gyuto knives and are intended for all those smaller tasks where larger knives are deemed unwieldy. On and off the cutting board. A must-have knife in every kitchen, it can be used for peeling, mincing, paring and decorating food.

STEEL:
VG-10 (V for Vanadium, G for “gold” as in “gold standard”) is made by Takefu Special Steel Company, a relatively small steel company that around 60 years ago managed to find just the right balance of different elements to create the most popular Japanese knife making steel today. VG-10 steel is stainless steel with relatively high Carbon (C) content (1%), 15% Chromium (Cr), 1% Molybdenum (Mo), 0.3% Vanadium (V) and 1.5% Cobalt (Co). The combination of Cr, Mo, and V forms a lot of hard carbides, making the steel abrasion resistant which translates to long-lasting, smooth sharpness.

LAMINATION:
The blade consists of multiple layers of steel which are forged welded together in what is known as san-mai damascus construction. This technique is used to protect the hard (but delicate) core from outside factors, such as rust and physical impacts, which could lead to breakage.

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

BLADE FINISH:
The blade was treated with hammer blows, resulting in a textured tsuchime look, which gives it a beautiful finish and also prevents food from sticking to the blade. The bottom part of the blade features an intricate damascus finish that flows down to the cutting edge. 

HANDLE:
Japanese (Wa) style rosewood handle will fit well in your hands for both the hammer and pinch grip. It is topped with a black pakka wood ferrule.

ABOUT THE BLACKSMITH:
Tsunehisa knives are a brand that combines a variety of high-quality knives from various knife centers of Japan such as Tosa, Seki, and Sakai. Their philosophy is that each region has its own steel and different manufacturing processes. For example, Tosa is best known for its Ginsanko and Aus-8 steels, Seki is famous for making excellent blades from the V-Gold group of steels, and Sakai for its single beveled Honyaki knives.