The Hatsukokoro Hayabusa(隼, peregrine falcon) VG-5 is a great starting point for anyone who want get into the wonderful world of Japanese kitchen knives, with a very affordable price, it will offer decent steel, very thin grind and ease of maintenance, which will allow you to experience the sharpness that Japanese knives have to offer without the need to worry about taking care of the blade all the time.

The Vg-5 by Takefu Steel is a more entry level stainless steel under the "V GOLD" line like the famous VG-10, compare to its big brother, VG-5 has less carbon and other alloy content, with reduce the edge retention a bit but the similar amount of chromium content will ensure same level of rust resistance. In exchange to this performance difference, the price of VG-5 knives will also be lower accordingly, so you can get them at a more affordable price point.

Like any other Hayabusa line, this line receives a very thin grind, which put it into the laser category, this will lead to less resistance when cutting into food which allows you to better experience that sharpness that defines Japanese knives. The finish at the details are also good, although the spine and choil are not rounded extensively, they don seems to dig into my hands and create hot spots.

In conclusion, this Hayabusa line offered by Hatsukokoro is very good for those who are picking their first ever Japanese kitchen knife. If you prefer a western handle, there is also a line of same knives fitted with a western handle.