Item purchased will look different than item pictured due to variations in materials.
After a chef's knife and a paring knife, some cooks say that the knife they most can't live without is their bread knife. It's a crime to ruin a fresh loaf of bread by smashing it beneath the blade of a dull knife. The wide, “low frequency” serrations on the Shun Classic Bread Knife are not only razor-sharp, but they do a much better job slicing any type of bread than a straight-edged knife. The undulating serrations provide the power you need to gently saw through a crusty loaf without tearing the tender interior. And it works equally well on very soft breads and even pastries.
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. Carbon steel chef knives can rust if not kept dry.