Shigeki Tanaka trained in Takefu which is an area we are very familiar with knife-wise. After training for 3 years he moved to his family forge in Miki city. From here he has gained an excellent reputation for making exceptional value knives using traditional techniques.

SHAPE: Gyuto. Japan's answer to the chef's knife with a thinner profile. Gyuto translates to cow sword.

STEEL: SG2 or R2. These are modern powder steels and as the name suggested are formed from mixture of powdered elements heated and pressed together. This allows for very precise recipes to be followed. The steels themselves have the ability to be hardened to above 65 on the Rockwell scale giving them excellent edge retention. This does come at a slight cost in that them can be slightly harder to sharpen.

FINISH: Damascus or suminagashi. This type of finish is made by creating a Kitaeji; which is produced by repeatedly folding/stacking then compressing two different steels until they create a laminated pattern. This can then be manipulated in various ways to produce the maker’s desired pattern effect. This material is then clad around the core metal of the blade as an elaborate protective layer for the core steel - thus giving the knife a beautiful and striking appearance.

HANDLE: Western style Desert Ironwood handle.

BLADE LENGTH: 210mm.

MAKER: Shigeki Tanaka - Miki city, Japan

BEST FOR: Those looking for an everyday santoku finished to exceptional levels.

SAUNDERS SAYS: “This knife is both beautiful and functional. It has incredible fit and finish and is a joy to use”