180mm Yoshimi Kato SG2 Damascus Wa Santoku Stabilized Birch

Hiroshi Kato was a co-founder of the Takefu Knife Village. His son Yoshimi apprenticed with him and other master smiths for over 20 years before taking over the family business.

Yoshimi Kato also forges blades for the Masakage knife brand.

Kato san visited District Cutlery in 2018 and performed a forging demonstration for our customers.

Location: Echizen, Japan

Line: SG2

Construction: San mai

Edge Steel: SG2 (HRC ~62)

Cladding: Damascus

Finish: Etched

Edge Grind: 50/50 (Double Bevel)

Handle: Octagonal Stabilized Birch with white Micarta spacer

Weight: ~ 136g

Blade Length: 180mm

Overall Length: ~31omm

Thickness at Heel: ~1.9mm

Blade Height: ~46.1mm

The best sharpening tools for Japanese knives are leather strops and fine whetstones.

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