This is a food prep knife designed for users who value excellent sharpness and edge retention and who can tolerate the reactivity of the blade as they are prone to discolor food they come in contact with. They are best honed with leather strops and sharpened on high-grit waterstones.

Yu Kurosaki is a phenomenal young blacksmith, and you can save some money buying a non-forged blade from his factory. The new Ei profile provides your fingers extra clearance between the handle and the cutting board.

Blade: Cold-forged R2 (SG2) steel hammer finish

Handle: Wenge with buffalo horn ferrule

Japanese chef knives are brittle and are designed for cutting soft tissue foods. High Carbon steel chef knives can corrode if not kept dry.