The Tosa Tanren(土佐鍛錬, Tosa Forging) SK Steel is some of the best entry level option for single bevel knives. Despite not having the most premium steel and the fancy look, it is a very competent tool for the job, and an even better tool for people to learn how to live with a traditional deba.
The SK steel may not be a commonly seen grade. It is a JIS grade high carbon steel that is not a part of the Hitachi Yasugi steel family, but have a similar carbon content as White #3 at 0.8-0.9%. It may not seem to be a lot but in typical western smithy the 1084 and 1095(with 0.84% and 0,95% carbon respectively) would already be seen as pretty high carbon steel. So, although it might not be premium, the SK is not gonna be anywhere near a poor steel to make knife with. Instead, since it's priced to be very beginner friendly, a steel that is easier to sharpen will pair very well with an entry level stone and allows a beginner to learn how to sharpen single bevel knives much easier.
The highlight is the sharpener, which is the renowned Myojin Riki Sesakusho. As far as we know, the sharpening and polishing of the single bevels are not done by Naohito Myojin, but the level of finish achieved on these blades are pretty high. You can rarely spot any defects of unevenness over the Migaki finished Urasuki and the flat hira, and the corner on the spine is lightly touched up to smoothen out the sharp edge. I really can’t ask much for an entry level knife lineup at this price.
This is a line that aimed clearly towards the beginner market, and for a single bevel user, I would highly recommend getting a set of properly built knives so you could understand and familiarise yourself with how a traditional Japanese blade behaves, whether when using it or when sharpening it. The SK line is a humble beginning that is well suited for this purpose, and along with the great fit and finish, they’ve got great value too.
By
Myojin Riki
