Yu Kurosaki Santoku Aogami Super Kuro-uchi 165mm (6.5")
Every Kurosaki blade carries his signature: a pattern of hammered "water droplets" across the steel, and like snowflakes, no two are alike. The knife you receive exists exactly once.
The santoku — "three virtues" — is Japan's classic all-rounder, shaped for vegetables, fish, and meat alike. If you want one Japanese knife that does most of your daily cooking, this is the shape. And this is one of the most special versions of it we carry.
Why this knife works the way it does:
- Aogami Super core — One of the most respected high-carbon steels in Japan. It takes an exceptionally fine, almost gentle edge, holds it for a long time, and resharpens easily when the day comes. The trade-off: the exposed core near the edge will develop a patina with use and needs to be kept dry. (More on this below — it's easier than it sounds.)
- San-mai stainless cladding — The carbon core is sandwiched between two stainless layers, so most of the blade is protected from rust. You get carbon-steel cutting performance with a fraction of the carbon-steel maintenance.
- Kuro-uchi finish — The dark upper blade is the untreated forge surface: an already-formed protective layer that gives the knife its traditional look and shields the steel beneath.
- Hammered tsuchime surface — Kurosaki's trademark dents aren't decoration alone; they create air pockets so slices release from the blade instead of clinging to it.
- Octagonal rosewood handle, pakka wood ferrule — Light and precise in the hand, balanced toward the blade for controlled, tip-led work.
Good to know before buying
- This is a hand-forged knife from a single smithy. Slight variations in the grind, finish, and hammer pattern between pieces are the nature of the craft — and the point of it.
- The exposed Aogami Super edge will develop a grey-blue patina with use. This is natural and protective, not rust. Keep the blade dry after washing and oil it occasionally — thirty seconds of care for a lifetime of edge.
- The kurouchi coating softens and wears gradually with use. Normal, and part of how the knife ages with you.
- Thin, hard blades like this reward good technique: no bones, no frozen food, no twisting in the cut, and a wooden or soft plastic board.
About the blacksmith
Yu Kurosaki forges in Takefu Knife Village near Echizen, where more than ten master blacksmiths work in open view of visitors. He apprenticed under Hiroshi Kato — a smith with over fifty years at the forge and one of the Village's founders — before opening his own smithy. He is the youngest blacksmith ever granted the title of Master Nokaji by the Takefu Knife Village Association, where he now teaches as senior instructor.
His knives are sought after worldwide and we receive them in small batches. If this one is in stock, it won't be for long.
☝️ Visiting Japan? Put Takefu Knife Village on your itinerary — you can watch the forging up close.
Here's a short video of Kurosaki's workshop:
Original: $240.00
-65%$240.00
$84.00Yu Kurosaki Santoku Aogami Super Kuro-uchi 165mm (6.5")
Every Kurosaki blade carries his signature: a pattern of hammered "water droplets" across the steel, and like snowflakes, no two are alike. The knife you receive exists exactly once.
The santoku — "three virtues" — is Japan's classic all-rounder, shaped for vegetables, fish, and meat alike. If you want one Japanese knife that does most of your daily cooking, this is the shape. And this is one of the most special versions of it we carry.
Why this knife works the way it does:
- Aogami Super core — One of the most respected high-carbon steels in Japan. It takes an exceptionally fine, almost gentle edge, holds it for a long time, and resharpens easily when the day comes. The trade-off: the exposed core near the edge will develop a patina with use and needs to be kept dry. (More on this below — it's easier than it sounds.)
- San-mai stainless cladding — The carbon core is sandwiched between two stainless layers, so most of the blade is protected from rust. You get carbon-steel cutting performance with a fraction of the carbon-steel maintenance.
- Kuro-uchi finish — The dark upper blade is the untreated forge surface: an already-formed protective layer that gives the knife its traditional look and shields the steel beneath.
- Hammered tsuchime surface — Kurosaki's trademark dents aren't decoration alone; they create air pockets so slices release from the blade instead of clinging to it.
- Octagonal rosewood handle, pakka wood ferrule — Light and precise in the hand, balanced toward the blade for controlled, tip-led work.
Good to know before buying
- This is a hand-forged knife from a single smithy. Slight variations in the grind, finish, and hammer pattern between pieces are the nature of the craft — and the point of it.
- The exposed Aogami Super edge will develop a grey-blue patina with use. This is natural and protective, not rust. Keep the blade dry after washing and oil it occasionally — thirty seconds of care for a lifetime of edge.
- The kurouchi coating softens and wears gradually with use. Normal, and part of how the knife ages with you.
- Thin, hard blades like this reward good technique: no bones, no frozen food, no twisting in the cut, and a wooden or soft plastic board.
About the blacksmith
Yu Kurosaki forges in Takefu Knife Village near Echizen, where more than ten master blacksmiths work in open view of visitors. He apprenticed under Hiroshi Kato — a smith with over fifty years at the forge and one of the Village's founders — before opening his own smithy. He is the youngest blacksmith ever granted the title of Master Nokaji by the Takefu Knife Village Association, where he now teaches as senior instructor.
His knives are sought after worldwide and we receive them in small batches. If this one is in stock, it won't be for long.
☝️ Visiting Japan? Put Takefu Knife Village on your itinerary — you can watch the forging up close.
Here's a short video of Kurosaki's workshop:
Product Information
Product Information
Shipping & Returns
Shipping & Returns
Description
Every Kurosaki blade carries his signature: a pattern of hammered "water droplets" across the steel, and like snowflakes, no two are alike. The knife you receive exists exactly once.
The santoku — "three virtues" — is Japan's classic all-rounder, shaped for vegetables, fish, and meat alike. If you want one Japanese knife that does most of your daily cooking, this is the shape. And this is one of the most special versions of it we carry.
Why this knife works the way it does:
- Aogami Super core — One of the most respected high-carbon steels in Japan. It takes an exceptionally fine, almost gentle edge, holds it for a long time, and resharpens easily when the day comes. The trade-off: the exposed core near the edge will develop a patina with use and needs to be kept dry. (More on this below — it's easier than it sounds.)
- San-mai stainless cladding — The carbon core is sandwiched between two stainless layers, so most of the blade is protected from rust. You get carbon-steel cutting performance with a fraction of the carbon-steel maintenance.
- Kuro-uchi finish — The dark upper blade is the untreated forge surface: an already-formed protective layer that gives the knife its traditional look and shields the steel beneath.
- Hammered tsuchime surface — Kurosaki's trademark dents aren't decoration alone; they create air pockets so slices release from the blade instead of clinging to it.
- Octagonal rosewood handle, pakka wood ferrule — Light and precise in the hand, balanced toward the blade for controlled, tip-led work.
Good to know before buying
- This is a hand-forged knife from a single smithy. Slight variations in the grind, finish, and hammer pattern between pieces are the nature of the craft — and the point of it.
- The exposed Aogami Super edge will develop a grey-blue patina with use. This is natural and protective, not rust. Keep the blade dry after washing and oil it occasionally — thirty seconds of care for a lifetime of edge.
- The kurouchi coating softens and wears gradually with use. Normal, and part of how the knife ages with you.
- Thin, hard blades like this reward good technique: no bones, no frozen food, no twisting in the cut, and a wooden or soft plastic board.
About the blacksmith
Yu Kurosaki forges in Takefu Knife Village near Echizen, where more than ten master blacksmiths work in open view of visitors. He apprenticed under Hiroshi Kato — a smith with over fifty years at the forge and one of the Village's founders — before opening his own smithy. He is the youngest blacksmith ever granted the title of Master Nokaji by the Takefu Knife Village Association, where he now teaches as senior instructor.
His knives are sought after worldwide and we receive them in small batches. If this one is in stock, it won't be for long.
☝️ Visiting Japan? Put Takefu Knife Village on your itinerary — you can watch the forging up close.
Here's a short video of Kurosaki's workshop:
