[Indigo Bocho] Ginsan Damascus Santoku

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: Santoku
• Steel: Ginsan No.3 stainless steel (rust-resistant)
• Blade length: 18cm
• 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 Santoku

The santoku is the everyday knife in most Japanese homes.

Its name means "three virtues" — meat, fish and vegetables — and because it handles all three, it is often simply called an all-purpose knife.

Its blade is deeper than a petty or a gyuto for a reason: when you cut something large, like a cabbage, the blade stays engaged and carries the cut all the way through.

If this is your first Japanese knife, or you are replacing the one you reach for every day, start here.

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.