Yu Kurosaki Petty Fujin VG-10 150mm (5.9″)

Kurosaki Petty Fujin is another uniquely looking blade from under the hands of a talented master blacksmith Yu Kurosaki. As with all Kurosaki knives, the fit and finish are simply superb, we hardly find any irregularities.

Fujin is the god of wind and one of the oldest Shinto gods in Japanese mythology. It is a very aptly named knife since the unique hammered patterns on the blade resemble the blowing of the wind. The knife is made from the popular and well tested VG-10 steel, heat-treated to 61 HRC. The bottom part of the blade exposes the Damascus cladding. The blade has a high polish finish and contrasts wonderfully with a dark, octagonal wooden handle made of wild black cherry. The knife distinguishes itself for its sharpness and unique design.

Petty is a small kitchen knife perfect for all those delicate tasks where a larger knife is deemed unwieldy. On and off the cutting board. It’s used for peeling, paring and decorating, coring apples, cutting out potato eyes and similar tasks. This is a knife you should absolutely consider adding to your collection.

VG-10 is currently the most popular Japanese steel and when choosing the type of steel, blacksmiths consider properties such as duration of sharpness, ease of maintenance and sharpening, graininess of steel and, last but not least, its price and availability. VG-10 (V stands for “vanadium”, G stands for “gold”, which means superior quality) is produced by Takefu Special Steel Company, a relatively small company that 60 years ago managed to strike the right balance between various elements that today constitute the most widespread Japanese steel. VG-10 is a stainless steel with a relatively high content (1%) of carbon (C), 15% of chromium (Cr), 1% molybdenum (Mo), 0.3% vanadium (V) and 1.5% cobalt (Co). The combination of Cr, Mo and V forms many hard carbides that make the steel resistant to abrasion, which in turn also means better edge retention.

The high polish finish of Kurosaki knives contrasts beautifully with the traditional look of Japanese knives and provides an alternative choice for everyone who is looking for something unique. They’re definitely collectors’ items!

Kurosaki fitted his standard wooden handle on the Fujin. Made from beautiful dark rosewood with and octagonal shape, so it fits the hands of both left- and right-handed users. A great knife to own, use and to marvel at the amazing skills of the master blacksmith.

About Yu Kurosaki:
Yu Kurosaki is a talented master blacksmith, located in Takefu Knife Village, close to the city of Echizen. His knives are well known in Japan and around the world for their beautiful, special-looking design and great quality. Hammer’s dents on the blade are his unique signature, and like snowflakes, not a single dent is alike. Needless to say (but we will say it anyway), his knives not only look great, they are made of high-quality steels and come with 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 the Takefu Knife Village, where now more than 10 master blacksmiths make handmade knives on display for visitors to observe 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 the 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: