Saji VG10 Rainbow Damascus Petty 130mm with Cosmic Swirl Handle

A petty is a small utility knife, from the French petit. It is commonly shaped like a small gyuto and runs from 120 to 150 mm, up to 180 mm. Its clearest role is detailed work where a larger knife feels cumbersome: fruit peeling, garnish work, condiments, and small board work beside a gyuto or santoku.

A knife maker, Tojiro, frames the petty as a useful second knife, not an automatic necessity, and recommends santoku plus petty or gyuto plus petty combinations. It is not a replacement for a full size chef's knife; it lacks the blade length and belly for efficient chopping, rocking, or breaking down larger proteins. Treat it as a precision tool, not an all-rounder.

Petty knife lengths vary by maker: KAI's guide defines a petty (ペティナイフ) as a small knife with a narrow blade measuring 150 mm or under. Its table gives 90 to 150 mm, and it describes the shape as a smaller gyuto with a pointed tip.

We list petty knives from 70 mm to 165 mm, including lengths above the limit used in KAI's guide.

For most cooks the second knife after a gyuto is a small utility knife (petty) of about 150mm. If most of your cooking is vegetables, make it a vegetable knife (nakiri) instead; if you carve or slice a lot of meat or fish, a slicing knife (sujihiki).

A gyuto covers the main board work, so the gap it leaves is small work. A petty does the jobs where a full-size blade is clumsy: peeling, trimming and coring in the hand, and small board jobs such as shallots, fruit and herbs. Our petty knife FAQ covers the shape in detail.

A nakiri earns the second slot if you prep vegetables every day. Its flat edge meets the board along its whole length, so slices separate cleanly. It has no pointed tip, so the gyuto still does the tip work.

A sujihiki is the choice for carving roasts and portioning large pieces of meat or fish. The long, narrow blade has less surface touching the food than a gyuto, so slices come away cleaner. 240mm and 270mm are the popular lengths.

A santoku or a bunka is a weak second knife: both are all-purpose shapes that repeat what the gyuto does. If your gyuto already handles the small jobs comfortably, the second knife can wait, and a whetstone to keep the first one sharp is the better spend.

Yes, it can. Takefu, which makes VG10 (V金10), lists it among its stainless steels, and the JSSA notes that stainless strictly means rust-resistant, not rust-proof.

Takefu lists VG10's chromium content as 15% and describes its corrosion resistance as excellent. We recommend drying the knife after washing.

Takefu, the steelmaker behind VG10, gives HRC 60 or more as its hardening hardness, measured straight after quenching. The hardness of a finished knife depends on its maker.

Takefu says the steel's 15% chromium, 1% molybdenum and 1.55% cobalt give it high hardness and a long-lasting edge, and that it is easy to sharpen.

Both are Takefu blade steels, and they differ in class and in what Takefu publishes about each. Takefu lists VG10 as a stainless steel with 1.00% carbon, 15.00% chromium, 1.00% molybdenum, 0.25% vanadium and 1.55% cobalt, at a hardening hardness of HRC 60 or more.

Takefu describes SG2, its Super Gold 2, as a blade steel created by powder metallurgy, lists its composition as not disclosed, and SG2 runs 61 to 65 HRC depending on the maker. Takefu also calls SG2 a powdered stainless high-speed steel.

Yes. VG-10 is our default suggestion for a first Japanese knife, because it is stainless and easy to sharpen, and it holds a good working edge through everyday home cooking.

VG-10 is made by Takefu Special Steel, with about 1% carbon, 15% chromium and 1.55% cobalt, and is usually hardened to around 60 HRC. Takefu describes it as corrosion resistant and easy to sharpen. Day to day you rinse it and wipe it dry, with none of the rust watching carbon steel asks for.

It is also a kind steel to learn sharpening on. It takes an edge readily on a basic waterstone, so you can feel when your technique is working. A harder steel such as SG2 holds its edge longer but is less forgiving on the stone, as our VG-10 vs SG2 comparison explains.

Stainless steel can still stain: VG-10 will spot if it is left wet with acidic food on the edge, and it should never go in the dishwasher. Like any hard, thin Japanese edge, it should also stay away from bones, frozen food and glass boards. If your household is rough on knives, the slightly softer AUS-10 is the safer choice.

Steel is only part of the decision. Heat treatment and grind change how the same VG-10 cuts from one maker to the next, so choose the shape and size first. Our first Japanese knife guide walks through that.

Takeshi Saji (佐治武士) is the third generation of Saji Uchihamono (株式会社佐治打刃物), the Echizen workshop founded in 1916.

The national register of traditional craftspersons lists him in the Echizen forged cutlery division, certified as a traditional craftsperson (伝統工芸士) on 25 February 1994. We carry a wide range of his work.