Hitohira Kikuchiyo Kyuzo Silver #3 Migaki Gyuto 210mm Ho Wood Handle

Kikuchiyo is a blacksmith based in Sakai. He was under tutelage of a legendary blacksmith in this region for well over two decades before taking over his masters forge. He’s known for his high quality White and Blue steel blades but is particularly recognized for his excellent stainless Ginsan (Silver #3) and Honyaki blades. He is an expert of temperatures and is able to achieve the correct hardness and gumminess through his technique. He always works with great ambition and efficiency hoping to develop his skills as a craftsman, modeling each of his knives on the image of his master’s forge.

Kyuzo is a sharpener from Sakai. Son of one of the busiest sharpeners in this region and student of one of the most legendary and influential sharpeners. His style is a combination of these two teachings and is most known for this wide-bevel sharpening with a crisp and visible shinogi line. An extremely challenging way of grinding where symmetry is the most important factor. Kyuzo’s blades are characterized by their exceptional cutting performance and easy to maintain bevels. These pronounced wide bevels are easy to follow when thinning the blade resulting in better performance over time. In addition to the high level grind and sharpening these knives feature comfortably chamfered spine and choil increasing the overall quality of the blade.

The gyuto is a true all-rounder and suitable for a wide variety of cutting tasks. A go-to knife for many and an ideal shape to start out with. Based on the Western style chef’s knife, the gyuto has a decent length, enough height to clear the knuckles from the cutting board and a somewhat narrow tip. It’s just as good at chopping an onion or cabbage, as slicing a roast or portioning fish. There's no shame in owning multiple gyuto's

This is a stainless steel knife. It becomes stainless due to a certain amount (10-13%) of chromium and/or nickel in the alloy, it forms a film layer which acts as a barrier between metal and oxygen. Stainless steel is easy, practical and functional but not completely maintenance free. With very bad maintenance it can rust or show pitting, after all it’s called stainless not stain-free steel. The corrosion resistance varies with each stainless steel. In my opinion the same rules apply here as with carbon steel (non-stainless).

Store your knife dry and clean, never let it air-dry after washing, no dishwasher and avoid extremely hard products like frozen foods or bones ect. But a big difference to carbon steel is that your margin of error is much bigger, the rust resistance is much greater and thus easier and more worry free to maintain.

Please note that there are many different stainless steels, just like carbon steels, each with its own properties and characteristics. Each should be judged individually.