Masamoto VG Cobalt

Same VG letters, a very different knife. On Masamoto's own catalogue the Japanese-knife VG is cobalt steel, and the products here are hon-gasumi (本霞) single bevel blades: a stainless core in the maker's rust-resistant cobalt alloy, soft-iron clad in nimai style, hardened to 61-62 HRC, on a D-shape wa handle of ho wood with buffalo horn. Functionally it is the low-maintenance answer to a carbon yanagiba, built the traditional way.

The line is focused: yanagiba in 270, 300 and 330 mm plus a kiritsuke-shaped yanagiba, all at the premium end of the stainless scale. The stainlessness is the point, less rust worry on a knife that lives at the sashimi station, while the single bevel profile and the hon-gasumi finish stay traditional. For a sushi professional or an enthusiast who wants that craft without the carbon upkeep, this is Masamoto's answer.