This colleberation between Hatsukokoro and Sukenari is another exciting addition to our traditional Japanese Single Bevel knives collection. With a reasonable fit&finish, combined with stainless core steel and cladding, these knives simply make the ownership of a good quality Japanese Single Bevel knife a lot easier, in many aspects.
Through the observation of the market, we found the traditional Japanese Single Bevel knives - Deba, Yanagiba and Usuba - are usually associated with Hitachi Metal carbon steels. There are few brands willing to produce a small amount of VG10 or even powder steel Yanagiba, but the number of production, the level of finish and price have determined that they are collector pieces.
For users who are interested in these unique single bevel knives but are worried about maintaining carbon steel, they are usually left with options with Ginsan core steel - Hitachi's own stainless variant of Shirogami/White No.2 steel. These Ginsan steel knives will typically not falling in the budget friendly category, that's why I consider the introduction of this VG1 serie as a good addition to the market. With a fairly low price(considering the size and construction), you can experience a low-maintenance, properly made Tradtional Single bevel knife made by renowned maker Sukenari. Althoght I should mention the finishi near the choil is not quite satisfying, this serie will still be a unique offering that responds a very specific demand.
