Hatsukokoro Kujaku V-Toku-2 Sujihiki 270mm Rainbow Damascus Finish Purple

Between 210 and 270 mm, depending on where it will work. One Japanese maker lists 210 to 240 mm, double-bevel, for home use and 240 to 270 mm, single- or double-bevel, for professional kitchens.

Another, in Sakai, recommends 240 mm at home, with the size of your board in mind, and 270 mm for professional use.

A sujihiki is a long, double-bevel knife for dividing larger pieces of meat into their parts, and its length lets it slice sashimi too; a yanagiba is the sashimi knife.

The Sakai cutlery association describes the yanagiba (柳刃包丁) edge as so acute that it cannot be used on bone or other hard things, so choose the sujihiki for meat and the yanagiba if sashimi is the main job.

No, they are different steels from different manufacturers: V-Toku 2 is an alloy blade steel in Takefu's V-steel range, and Aogami 2 (Blue 2) is made by Proterial.

Takefu's table gives V-Toku 2 1.05% carbon, 0.25% chromium, 1.25% tungsten and under 0.20% vanadium, with a hardness of HRC 64 or more; Proterial gives Aogami 2 1.05 to 1.15% carbon, 0.20 to 0.50% chromium, 1.00 to 1.50% tungsten and no vanadium listed, with a hardening hardness over 60 HRC. Both are carbon steels that can rust, so dry the knife after washing.

Takefu Special Steel lists it as an alloy blade steel in its V-steel range, where chromium, tungsten and vanadium form hard, compact carbides that improve durability, at a hardness of 64 HRC or more.

The knives we list as Hatsukokoro Kujaku have a V-Toku 2 core. Its 0.25% chromium is below the Japan Stainless Steel Association's 10.5% minimum for stainless, so dry it after use.

Hatsukokoro (初心) is a brand, not a forge. H&K, a company founded in 2013 and based in Amagasaki, Hyogo, created it in 2019.

H&K names the producer for some lines, for example Shinkiro by Takahiro Nihei in Fukushima, Ginyou by Yoshihiro Yauji in Echizen and Kurosagi by Motokyuichi Hamono in Nagasaki, and keeps others confidential. Some knives we stock carry the maker in the title, such as Hatsukokoro x Yoshikane SKD Nashiji.

The name comes from the Japanese proverb 初心忘るべからず, which means don't forget your original intention. The company read it gently as hatsukokoro rather than shoshin.

H&K created the brand in 2019, six years after the company was founded, and chose the name for its knife line.

Pick by how much care you want to give. The carbon lines, Blue 1, Blue 2 and AS kurouchi, need drying and a little oil after use. The SG2, HAP40, Ginsan and VG10 lines are low maintenance, so they suit a busy kitchen or someone who just wants to cook.

Neither is better; it depends on your routine. If you will dry and oil the blade after each use, a carbon line can suit you, and if you want the least fuss, a stainless line is the easier choice.