Takeshi Saji started his apprenticeship at the age of 14 with his uncle in his hometown of Takefu where it has been at the forefront of knife making for over 700 years because of its purity of the Iron steel made of such clear spring water in the area and the highest grade of pine charcoal. Since Saji-san has a unique talent for creating outstanding edges and his natural affinity to this art, he was awarded the accolade of ‘Traditional Craftsman’ and at the extremely tender age (in knife making terms) of 38, the Ministry of Culture honoured him as a ‘Living Treasure’ of Japan – the youngest person ever to receive this high honour. In such busy situation for him, it was very good fortune that we meet him and he agreed to produce a comprehensive collection of kitchen knives using the greatly prized VG10 steel as the core of these luxurious Damascus blades with a total of 129 layers of alternating steel and stunningly inimitable Stag Horn handles.
The look of this most definitely unique collection is clearly inspired by its ‘hunting knife’ heritage as well meeting and even surpassing the requirements of busy chefs and dedicated home cooks. The Saji Collection embodies the complex beauty of Japanese knife making at its finest as well as being a stunning example of the art of hand forging.
SANTOKU (San – 3 & Toku – benefit):
This is the classic Japanese chef’s knife. It is flat from the handle end for about ½ way to the tip and then gently curves to a point. It is ideal for straight vertical chopping, horizontal slicing and roll cutting.
Function – Multi-purpose chef knife. For Slicing, Dicing and Mincing of vegetables, meat and fish.
Normal length – 165mm to 180mm (smaller 140mm are available in a few collections)
Tip: The 170mm/180mm is the most popular multipurpose knife.
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AK from Germany (verified owner) –
Great and beautiful