Shibata Koutetsu Aogami Super Santoku

This is the Aogami Super version of the Kotetsu. The blade is made of Aogami steel which stays sharp for a super long time. However, this knife is prone to rust and must be maintained properly. For someone who treats their gear nicely, this will be one of the sharpest knives you can get.

The Shibata Kotetsu series consist of razor-sharp knives with a unique design. They are light, thin and razor sharp. The special shape makes cutting food easier than ever. A beautiful chef's knife that shines in simplicity.

The result of a quest for the perfect knife

Knife maker Takayuki Shibata found that the normal chef's knives / gyuto had too large curves that resulted in less contact with the food when cutting. As an alternative, he began working with a nakiri but soon found himself reaching for his gyuto again. He found that a nakiri was too straight; as a result, there is a lot of friction while cutting. He eventually found his inspiration in Japanese history with the IronClad Kotetsu warships. He designed a knife that was largely straight with a slight curve toward the end of the blade.

The blade

The blade is made of Aogami 2 steel with a hardness of 62-63 rockwell. To protect the hard core layer, 2 layers of softer steel were forged around the hard core. This type of steel is prone to rust and will develop a patina layer over time.

The back of the blade is highly polished which provides a little more friction between your hand and the knife. This gives you more control while cutting. The sides of the knife are slightly more coarsely polished. Due to the structure, moisture-rich food sticks less while cutting. This combined with the extra thin blade ensures that you can cut almost any food effortlessly.

Traditionally shaped handle
The handle is made of rosewood and shaped in an octagon (octagon). The piece between the handle and the blade is made of pakka wood which is more resistant to moisture. What is noticeable is that the handle is much lighter than Japanese knives with a Western handle.