Saji Gyuto SRS13 Tsuchime 240mm (9.4″)

Saji Gyuto SRS13 Tsuchime 240mm (9.4″) is a multi-purpose Japanese kitchen knife, suitable for preparing meat, fish, and vegetables. But to just call it a kitchen knife would be a massive understatement.

It’s a truly out-of-this-world piece of knifemaking, from its looks and all the way down to specifics. Its heart was forged out of SRS13, a high-speed powder steel that has recently been gaining popularity with blacksmiths. Renowned for its high hardness and excellent corrosion resistance, blades forged from it will have a fine and long-lasting sharpness.

A great addition to any passionate knife connoisseur’s collection.

BLADE SHAPE:
Gyuto is the most versatile and useful blade shape in the modern kitchen. It has a wide profile for easy food transfer and tends to be fairly flat towards the heel, enabling easy and fast chopping on the cutting board. A pointed tip allows piercing and precise, delicate work. A slight curve between the tip and the midsection makes the belly great for rocking the blade back and forth when cutting. It can be used for cutting meat, fish, and vegetables.

STEEL:
SRS13 steel is a powder steel, which are known for being able to achieve a high hardness and resist corrosion very well. This combination makes them especially fitting for kitchen knives. SRS13 is usually hardened to a respectable hardness of around 64 HRC, meaning it will keep a sharp edge for a long time and won’t be needed to resharpened often. It also has great wear and corrosion resistance, so you won’t have to worry too much about maintenance.

SRS13 is composed of: carbon (C) 1.3%, chromium (Cr) 13.0%, molybdenum (Mo) 2.75%, tungsten (W) 1.25%, vanadium (V) 1.5%, manganese (Mn) 0.3% and silicon (Si) 0.3%.

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 with a v-edge grind.

BLADE FINISH:
The surface of the blade was treated with a special textured hammer, leaving complex geometric impressions on its upper part. The lower part of the blade was treated to a high-polish, which ends at the hamon, which is the thin line flowing along the cutting edge. It shows the border between the hagane (blade’s core) and jigane (outer layers).

HANDLE:
Western style (Yo) handle with steel rivets, made of very dense and durable ironwood.