Hatsukokoro Sunaarashi VG10 Kurozome K-Tip Petty 150mm with Teak Wood Handle

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.

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.

On nearly every Japanese kitchen knife sold as Damascus, the pattern is there for looks. It sits in the soft cladding on the sides of the blade, and the plain core steel at the edge does the cutting. Pay more for Damascus if you enjoy how it looks, and for no other reason.

Most are built in three layers (sanmai): a hard core with a softer layer forge-welded to each side. On a Damascus knife that outer layer is itself made of many thin layers, etched or blasted so the pattern shows. The cladding is made separately from the core, so a maker can change the look without changing how the blade cuts. Two knives with the same core steel and the same grind perform the same, patterned or plain.

The cladding does real work, but plain cladding does it too. It supports the hard, brittle core, and when it is stainless it shields a carbon steel core from rust except at the edge. Our Damascus construction page shows the layers.

The pattern also changes with use. The contrast fades where you sharpen, and once the knife is thinned the cladding near the edge will not look as it did out of the box. If the budget is tight, spend it on the core steel and grind, or on a whetstone. If you like the pattern, buy it; wanting a good-looking knife is a fair reason to choose one.