Jiro Tsuchime Wa Santoku 165mm Taihei Tagayasan Handle (#450)

Jiro-san is a blacksmith and knife maker from the Nagano region and an artisan in every sense of the word. He is a one man operation, meaning every part of his blades have been handcrafted by Jiro-san from start to finish. Because of this the number of knives that he can produce is slim, each of them unique, numbered and with certificate.

These are made with Shirogami no.1 carbon steel which is one of the purest carbon steel used in today’s knife making. The forge welding is done by himself, the process of combining the harder core with the softer iron cladding. By doing this all in-house he can control every step of the process and forge with ideal temperatures. Not using pre-laminated steel is a rarity and this is showcased by the spine thickness of his knives because pre-laminated steel is not available with this thickness.
Jiro-San polishes and sharpens the knives be himself on his favourite combination of synthetic and natural whetstones. The results are incredibly even and finely polished bevels which are not only beautiful but add considerably to the performances the blade.

An equally all-round knife as the gyuto but more orientated to homestyle cooking. Incredibly versatile on its own, easy to use, nimble and suitable for a wide variety of cutting tasks. The bunka is a version of the santoku but with a Kiritsuke tip. This style tip will excel in more delicate work while it still retains the all-purpose functionality of the santoku. 

This is a carbon steel knife with a soft stainless steel cladding. Many Japanese knives are constructed with a 3-layer design known as “San Mai,” where a hard, high-quality steel core is sandwiched between two layers of softer steel. In this case, the core is made of carbon steel, while the outer layers, or cladding, are composed of stainless steel. This construction combines the benefits of a carbon steel edge—such as easy sharpening and excellent edge retention—with the added corrosion resistance of stainless steel for the rest of the blade.

Although the cladding offers protection against oxidation, it’s still important to care for the knife properly. Store it clean and dry, avoid air-drying after washing, and never place it in the dishwasher. Additionally, steer clear of cutting very hard materials like frozen food or bones, which can damage the edge.