Japanese Santoku - Live Edge Maple Handle - Forged AEB-L Stainless

A Santoku is a staple blade in any kitchen. This Japanese blade is roughly akin to a European chef knife, which makes it an excellent general purpose kitchen knife that excels at meat prep, hard or soft vegetables, and chopping herbs. My take on the traditional Santoku includes some features such as a stainless blade for low maintenance use, and a live edge handle made from Manitoba Maple Burl. 

My Santoku features a wide profile with a gently curving edge, forged from AEB-L stainless steel. I've intentionally left the forging marks on the flats of the blade to pay homage to the Kurochi finish - a Japanese style where the forged section of the blade remains raw and unpolished. This style offers enhanced food release, as well as slightly higher rigidity in very thin blade stock. The blade has a very thin grind which allows for superior slicing both on hard and soft ingredients. AEB-L is my choice of blade steel for these blades, which I heat treat in house to a hardness of 62 HRC. This steel holds an excellent edge and performs very similar to a high carbon steel, while offering the corrosion resistance of stainless steel which has made it a favourite of mine. 

The handle style of this blade is inspired by a traditional octagonal Wa style handle. I've taken inspiration and slightly adjusted some angles of the handle to make the handle taper down towards the blade to allow for slightly better indexing. Besides the comfortable grip, my favourite part of this handle is the wood choice. I've featured some locally sourced Manitoba Maple Burl and impregnated it under vacuum with a specialty stabilizing resin to ensure for a lifetime of durability. I specifically featured the live edge of the burl for these handles, as I wanted something totally unique and to be able to feature the junction where the bark attached to the tree. 

The polish of this blade is something I like to call my Tumbled Mirror Finish. I've polished the blade, and then tumbled it with polishing media which creates a matte appearance from some angles, but mirrored from other angles. This finish is difficult to produce but has quickly become my favourite finish due to the unique high gloss appearance, as well as being able to polish the forging marks without removing them, allowing you to see every hammerblow that made this knife. 

Note: This is a one of a kind piece - if you place an order, you will receive the exact blade pictured. 

Blade Specifications:

Blade Length: 6.5" (170mm)

OAL: 12.25" (310 mm)

Weight:  130 grams

Blade Thickness: 1/16" (1.5mm)

Steel: AEB-L Stainless 62 HRC

Handle Material: Natural Stabilized Manitoba Maple Burl, Pau Ferro bolster, Brass accents