Hatsukokoro Shikkoku 165 mm Santoku - Aogami 2

Hatsukokoro is a brand from Amagasaki, close to Osaka City. They collaborate with various blacksmiths and grinders all over Japan and develop new series in an attempt to make some of the best knives in the world, but also really good knives in a lower price range to be able to deliver to all different needs.

The Shikkoku series is made with Aogami #2 in the core and soft iron on the outside, so it requires a little care when using it, but it makes up for it in cutting ability and how easy it is to sharpen. The very raw kurouchi finish on the top of the blade, together with the really nice damascus finish down towards the edge, gives the knife a super nice balance between "unfinished" and incredibly well-made.

The handle is a classic Japanese octagonal WA handle in walnut with a buffalo horn ferrule.

The knife here is a so-called utility knife of 15 cm. It is probably the most universal knife of the common types after the chef's knife, and can also replace a chef's knife in many ways. It is not quite as tall as a chef's knife and is also shorter, which makes it very easy to handle. It can be used to slice vegetables and cut smaller pieces of meat - and it is also fantastic for trimming meat and finer cutting tasks in fruit and vegetables.

The knife should never be washed in a dishwasher, and should not be used to cut hard objects such as bones, cartilage, frozen objects, or hard cheeses. Remember that it is a characteristic of thin, hard metal that it can break.