[Indigo Bocho] Ginsan Damascus Petty

A keen, carbon-steel bite that makes everyday cooking a pleasure.

The performance of carbon steel without the rust, so upkeep stays simple.

About Ginsan

Ginsan — Gingami No.3 — is one of the high-grade stainless steels (Yasuki Hagane) made by Hitachi Metals. It is well regarded as a knife steel because it holds the keen edge and the easy sharpening of carbon steel while resisting rust like stainless. A knife blade is generally sharper the harder it is, and carbon steel is harder than stainless but rusts readily, which is where the old line "a blade that rusts is a blade that cuts" comes from. Ginsan was developed to take both halves of that bargain: carbon steel performance, without the rust.

Engraving

Engraving can be added from the options on this page.

For the full specification, see the Name Engraving page.

Specifications

• Type: Petty
• Steel: Ginsan No.3 stainless steel (rust-resistant)
• Blade length: 15cm
• Blade grind: Double bevel (right- or left-handed)
• Handle wood: Hiba (Japanese cypress)
• Handle finish: Indigo dyed with waterproof coating
• Made in: Japan (Osaka / Tokushima / Fukui / Saitama)

About the Petty

A small knife — the name simply means "small."

It began as a knife for fruit and for peeling vegetables. These days it is just as often used as a compact all-purpose knife.

Fruit, certainly, but meat, fish and vegetables as well.

Light and quick in the hand, it travels well for cooking outdoors, and it is an increasingly common choice as a child's first knife. It also suits anyone who finds a santoku a little too much knife.

About Indigo Bocho

Indigo dyeing has been part of everyday life in Japan for centuries, valued for the antibacterial and deodorizing qualities long attributed to it. The Indigo Bocho brings that craft to a kitchen knife, so that how a knife performs and how it looks are settled together. Each one joins Sakai bladesmithing, an Osaka tradition, to the indigo dyeing rooted in the history of Tokushima. Putting artisans from different regions and different disciplines on the same object is the whole point: each craft is worth more for standing next to the other. There is a wider aim as well — one product that supports several craft regions at once, and helps keep Japan's traditional skills in working use. We hope you enjoy what the two crafts make together.