Yu Kurosaki Sujihiki Fujin VG-10 270mm (10.6”)

Kurosaki Sujihiki Fujin is another unique blade from the hands of a talented master blacksmith Yu Kurosaki. As with all his knives, the fit and finish are simply superb, we hardly ever find any little irregularities in Kurosaki knives. At 270mm (10.6″) length, this Sujihiki Fujin is quite a large knife, the purpose of which is making long pulls and precise cuts of meat and fish.

Fujin is the god of wind and one of the oldest Shinto gods in Japanese mythology. It is a very aptly named knife since the unique hammered patterns on the blade resemble the blowing of the wind. The knife is made from the popular and well-tested VG-10 steel, heat-treated to 61 HRC. The bottom part of the blade exposes the Damascus cladding.

Kurosaki fitted his standard wooden handle on the Fujin blade. Made from beautiful dark rosewood and shaped octagonally to fit the hands of both left- and right-handed users. A great knife to own, use, and to marvel at, as the amazing skills of the master blacksmith are truly impressive.

BLADE SHAPE:
Sujihiki or slicer knives are primarily intended for long pulls and precise cuts of meat and fish. The long and narrow blade is particularly useful for slicing meat or boneless fish, or for filleting and skinning fish. The long blade allows the meat or fish to be cut in a single drawing motion, from heel to tip.
The blade has a distal taper; at the handle, it’s 3.5mm (0.13″) thick and then narrows towards the tip to 1.25mm (0.04″).
→ The long, straight blade is ideal for cutting large cuts of meat and fish. The blade is 270mm (10.6″) long.

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. Heat treated to the hardness of 60-61 HRC.

LAMINATION:
The excellent VG-10 steel core is clad into 10 layers of softer stainless steel – this lamination technique is called san-mai damascus.

→ Read more on Blade Construction: Lamination.

GEOMETRY:
It has a double bevel (symmetrical) blade (50/50) with a v-edge grind.

BLADE FINISH:
The Kurosaki Fujin blade consists of a unique combination of a tsuchime (hammered) finish and a captivating damascus pattern (11 layers). The narrow and straight lines create a sense of motion, evoking the image of swirling winds. This distinctive texture not only enhances the visual charm of the blade, but also reduces food sticking to the blade.

Fujin is the god of wind and one of the oldest Shinto gods in Japanese mythology. The unique hammered finish on the knife beautifully captures the essence of a windy storm, infusing it with an intriguing aesthetic and a touch of elemental power.

HANDLE:
The handle is made from beautiful dark rosewood, and because of its symmetrical octagonal shape, it is perfect for both left- and right-handed users.

ABOUT THE BLACKSMITH:
Yu Kurosaki is a young, talented master blacksmith who lives in Takefu Knife Village, close to the city of Echizen. His knives are well known throughout Japan and also around the world for their beautiful, unique-looking design and superior quality. Hammer dents on the blade are his signature finish, and just like with snowflakes, not a single dent is alike. Needless to say (but we will say it anyway), his knives don’t only look great but they’re also made of high-quality steel and have a razor sharp, long-lasting edge.

Before opening his own smithy, Kurosaki-san was the apprentice of Hiroshi Kato, a master blacksmith with more than 50 years of knife-making experience. Kato-san is one of the founders of Takefu Knife Village, where now more than 10 master blacksmiths make knives by hand and put them on display for visitors to admire and learn more about their craft. Kurosaki-san is the youngest blacksmith to be granted the title of Master Nokaji by Takefu Knife Village Association and is a senior teacher there.

☝️ When you visit Japan, make sure to put the Takefu Knife Village on your itinerary!

Here’s a short video of Kurosaki’s workshop: