Kenshiro Hatono Damascus Santoku 170 mm

The Blacksmith

Kenshiro Hatono is a young and very talented smith who has been working as an apprentice under Katsuyasu Kamo in the Tafefu knife village for about 5 years. He is preparing to open his own business and will begin producing knives under his own name in larger quantities next spring (2024) if all goes to plan. We are very excited to have his knives in our shop and look forward to seeing him grow as a smith over the coming years. He is able to work with a variety of steels, can produce many different finishes and along with his excellent edge geometry we are expecting big things from him! 

The Shape 

Santoku translates to three virtues. Meat, fish, and vegetables, or slicing, dicing, and chopping. No matter what way you look at it, it implies the versatility of the knife. While you sacrifice some of the slicing capability of a larger gyuto, don't be fooled by its size, the santoku can get 99% of your kitchen tasks done without breaking a sweat, which is probably why its the most popular shape in Japanese home kitchens.

The Knife 

Featuring a gorgeous walnut handle with turquoise spacer and metal liners along with the beautiful layered Damascus blade this knife is a showstopper! The profile or curve of the blade is gentle so as to make an up and down or push and pull chopping motion perfectly suitable for use but it's not so flat that one can't use a rocking motion as well. It's overall a light blade and has nice blade geometry, thin at the spine and thin at behind the edge but not so much so that we would describe this knife as delicate and would highly recommend it for anyone just starting their Japanese knife journey. 

Knife Care (Stainless Steel)

• Although this knife is made from stainless steel we do still encourage our customers to keep their knives as dry and clean as possible.
• NO DISHWASHER - the high heat will ruin the wooden handle.
• Wash and dry by hand using regular dish soap and warm water using a none abrasive sponge or cloth.
• Ensure the knife is dry before being put away for storage and ensure the edge of the knife is protected to avoid any unnecessary dulling.
• Avoid Bones, Frozen foods, nuts and hard candies or anything other than fruits, vegetables and proteins.