Morihei Hisamoto INOX Petty 120mm Pakka Handle

A light weight traditional western series by Morihei featuring a thin mono steel stainless blade with a killer ‘out of the box edge’. Like most knives supplied by Morihei these get a natural stone edge sharpening. The edge geometry is very much on point. Very stainless stainless steel with good edge retention and especially easy resharpening. Highly recommended as a go to series for anyone looking for functional and reliable knives or as gifts without breaking the bank.

Morihei is a knife and whetstone supplier located in Asakusabashi, Tokyo. They have been a part of the industry for over 100 years, including the predecessor of Morihei “Oguro-Morihei-Shouten“. At one point in time, more than 20 groups of blacksmiths and sharpeners were working exclusively under Morihei. They are one of the only companies in Japan with a long-standing history of relationships with blacksmiths and whetstone and natural stone makers that still exists today. The president, Mr. Akimitsu Oguro is highly regarded and extremely well educated on the “Kanto” knife style. He acts like a gatekeeper for this specific style. Educating craftsmen on the old techniques used to keep not only double but also single bevel knives from the Tokyo region alive.
Morihei is one of the most reputable natural stones dealers and next to some of our favorite knives and stones they supply a wide range of woodworking- and gardening-tools.

Petty knives (Utilty) have a similar profile as the Gyuto but smaller, commonly ranging from 12 to 15cm. A shape most often used next to any larger all-purpose blade (gyuto & santoku) although there are many households where this is the go-to knife. Very suitable for the smaller cutting tasks such as cleaning, portioning and peeling fruits and vegetables and cleaning smaller cuts of meat or fish. 

Pairing knives are more used for in-hand tasks such as peeling, trimming, scoring and cleaning and fruit or vegetable. 

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.