Yu Kurosaki Petty Senko R2 Turquoise 150mm (5.9″) For Discount

Description

Yu Kurosaki Petty Senko R2 Turquoise 150mm (5.9″)

Kurosaki Petty Senko R2 Turquoise 150mm is a small Japanese kitchen knife from the hands of master blacksmith Yu Kurosaki. It’s an example of usable art, a knife that would look just as good at an esteemed art exhibition as it does in the hands of an ambitious cooking enthusiast.

The striking mirror-polish blade is dotted with intricate hammer imprints that resemble a dazzling diamond pattern—hence the name Senko 千古; meaning eternity. This also refers to the blade’s core, forged out of SG2 powder steel, that will stay sharp for seemingly forever.

Yu Kurosaki isn’t only known for his exotic steel choices, though. Equally eye-catching is the lavish turquoise handle with ornate mosaic rivets, that, together with the curvy, sabre like blade shape give the knife a lavish look. In many cultures, the turquoise gemstone has been associated for thousands of years as a holy stone, a bringer of good fortune or a talisman.

May this gem of a knife bring you luck as well, remaining your loyal companion and staying by your side on your cooking journey for years to come.

BLADE SHAPE:
Petty knives are basically smaller versions of Gyuto knives (Chef’s knife). Petty knives are intended for all those smaller tasks where larger knives are deemed unwieldy. On and off the cutting board.

This one has a pronounced reverse-tanto tip, also known as a kiritsuke or K-tip. Besides giving the knife a distinct, badass appearance, it allows for precise cuts and intricate work.

STEEL:
SG2 steel is a powder steel, renowned for its hardness and subsequent edge retention—due to a high carbon (C) content of 1.5%. The steel is also high in chromium (Cr)—around 15%, which adds to corrosion resistance and Molybdenum (Mo) that improves the blade’s wear resistance. SG2 steel blades will be able to achieve a fine sharpness due to the fine microstructure of the steel and will keep it—without having to worry about maintenance and corrosion.

LAMINATION:
A high hardness of around 63 HRC means that the blade won’t be very tough, so the blade’s core was laminated using the san-mai method to improve its structural integrity and subsequent ability to withstand impacts and prevent chipping. San-mai translates to “three layers” in Japanese, referring to a blade that is composed of a primary, inner layer of harder steel (hagane) and of two secondary, outer layers of softer steel (jigane) that protect the prior.

GEOMETRY:
It has a double bevel (symmetrical) blade.

BLADE FINISH:
An intricate tsuchime (hammered) pattern with shallow diamond-shaped imprints adorns the highly reflective blade.

HANDLE:
Turquoise western (Yo) style handle with high-polish rivets, one of them having an intricate mosaic motif.

ABOUT THE BLACKSMITH:
Yu Kurosaki is a talented master blacksmith who lives in Takefu Knife Village, close to the city of Echizen. His knives are well known throughout Japan and also around the world for their beautiful, unique-looking design and superior quality. Hammer’s dents on the blade are his signature finish, and just like with snowflakes, not a single dent is alike. Needless to say (but we will say it anyway), his knives don’t only look great but they’re also made of high-quality steel and have a razor sharp, long-lasting edge.

Before opening his own smithy, Kurosaki-san was the apprentice of Hiroshi Kato, a master blacksmith with more than 50 years of knife-making experience. Kato-san is one of the founders of Takefu Knife Village, where now more than 10 master blacksmiths make knives by hand and put them on display for visitors to admire and learn more about their craft. Kurosaki-san is the youngest blacksmith to be granted the title of Master Nokaji by Takefu Knife Village Association and is a senior teacher there.

When you visit Japan, make sure to put the Takefu Knife Village to your itinerary!

Here’s a short video of Kurosaki’s workshop: