Hitohira Ashi Swedish Stainless Petty 150mm Ho Wood Handle

Ashi Hamono, a legendary company based in Sakai. Famed for their mono style and convex grind, Ashi Hamono knives are synonymous with smooth cutting performance. Ashi produces blades from a single piece of steel, known as mono steel knives. It makes for very reliable and strong knives with a very solid feeling. It is true that mono steel knives cannot be hardened to the levels of a San Mai (core-steel w/ cladding construction) knives but Ashi makes up for that with their first-class heat treatment and their superior convex sharpening. Convex sharpening is where the bevels are more rounded instead of flat, minimizing contact between product and blade. This grind, and especially on Ashi level, ensures a smooth cutting performance even when the edge gradually dulls.
In short, Ashi knives are like laser workhorses with surprisingly good edge retention and are a joy to sharpen.
They come in White #2 carbon steel and Swedish stainless steel. Stainless is easier in use, White is slightly more affordable and sharpens the best.

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.