Ryusen Hamono is another fantastic maker working out of Echizen City. They fully embrace the tradition of the region and take great pride in every step of the knife making process. They produce knives with excellent fit & finish, and sharpness that are absolutely beautiful to look at and hold. Winners of numerous design awards and supporters of the Japanese national team at the Bocuse D'or their knives are popular with professional chef's and home cooks alike.
The Knife
The Tangan-ryu line features gorgeous Canadian maple handles with a full welded stainless steel tang, and ferrule where these knives balance. This balance point is more typical of European style cutlery so if you're interested in Japanese steel with a French/German feel these are a great option. Equally beautiful is the Tsuchime finish and Damascus pattern made from VG-10 stainless steel providing easy maintenance. The fit and finish is as close to perfect as we've seen and no detail has been overlooked, including the packaging for those who appreciate a nice knife box! ;)
From the Ryusen Hamono website...
"— Hammered Damascus kitchen knife pursuing glittering beauty and sharpness to an absolute maximum — Hammered Damascus steel carefully polished by artisans is used. A high-end steel material VG-10 is used as the core (steel), which is sandwiched by 33-layer Damascus steel made by laminating and forging alternate soft and hard stainless steel sheets, achieving long-lasting sharpness. The beautiful hammered surface asperities create an air layer between the food and the blade, making the cut pieces easy to separate from the blade. In creating the Tangan RYU Premium Series, we studied the grip, the weight balance and other factors while assuming various methods of food preparation based on opinions from professional cooks to make improvements into details. These improvements and careful handwork by artisans finally brought about a kitchen knife that alleviates users’ fatigue or pain even during extended periods of use, providing dramatically improved usability. Try this beautiful high-class model that features excellent sharpness, resistance to rust, durability and practicality. [Product receiving the Good Design Award in 2016]"
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.
