Tsunehisa Petty VG-10 Damascus Tsuchime 150mm (5.9″)

Tsunehisa Petty VG-10 Damascus Tsuchime 150mm is a small multi-purpose Japanese kitchen knife that can be used for peeling, mincing, paring and decorating food. A blade length of 150mm is slightly on the larger side, with a profile that makes it perfectly usable as a stand-alone knife, not just as a complimentary piece to a larger multi-purpose knife. The upper part of the blade features a hammered pattern, which then transform into an intricate damascus that flows down to the cutting edge. 

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. A must-have knife in every kitchen, it can be used for peeling, mincing, paring and decorating food.

STEEL:
VG-10 (V for Vanadium, G for “gold” as in “gold standard”) is made by Takefu Special Steel Company, a relatively small steel company that around 60 years ago managed to find just the right balance of different elements to create the most popular Japanese knife making steel today. VG-10 steel is stainless steel with relatively high Carbon (C) content (1%), 15% Chromium (Cr), 1% Molybdenum (Mo), 0.3% Vanadium (V) and 1.5% Cobalt (Co). The combination of Cr, Mo, and V forms a lot of hard carbides, making the steel abrasion resistant which translates to long-lasting, smooth sharpness.

LAMINATION:
The blade consists of multiple layers of steel which are forged welded together in what is known a san-mai damascus construction. This technique is used to protect the hard (but delicate) core from outside factors, such as rust and physical impacts, which could lead to breakage.

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

BLADE FINISH:
The knife features a beautiful combination of tsuchime and damascus pattern. The blade was treated with hammer blows, resulting in a textured tsuchime look, which gives it a beautiful finish and also prevents food from sticking to the blade. 

HANDLE:
Japanese (Wa) style rosewood handle will fit well in your hands for both the hammer and pinch grip. It is topped with a dark ebony ferrule.

ABOUT THE BLACKSMITH:
Tsunehisa knives are a brand that combines a variety of high-quality knives from various knife centers of Japan such as Tosa, Seki, and Sakai. Their philosophy is that each region has its own steel and different manufacturing processes. For example, Tosa is best known for its Ginsanko and Aus-8 steels, Seki is famous for making excellent blades from the V-Gold group of steels, and Sakai for its single beveled Honyaki knives.