The renowned Sanjo knife maker, Master Tsukasa Hinoura stared blacksmithing in 1975. In Japan, he is exceptionally famous, demand is high and his kitchen knives are incredibly hard to get hold of. Luckily during my last trip to Japan I got to meet Tsukasa-san and his son Mutsumi-san. From this trip we managed to bring back quite a few knives but, most importantly, order lots for the future. Here they are...

This range of knives comes from steel that he has forge welded himself which is getting increasingly rare now.

SHAPE: Petty. The smallest knife in the collection and perfect for everyday slicing tasks.

STEEL: Shirogami (white) 2 steel. It is a reactive carbon steel which is easy to sharpen and holds an edge well. This steel is often chosen for traditional-style Japanese knives. Care must be taken to keep these knives dry as they will rust easily.

FINISH: Kurouchi. This is a traditional, rustic finish achieved by leaving the furnace scale from the forging process on the blade rather than polishing it off. It has the advantage of reducing the reactivity of the surface of the knife and gives the blade a stylish, matt black finish.

HANDLE: Burnt Chestnut handle with a buffalo horn ferrule.

LENGTH: 150mm in length 

MAKER: Tsukasa Hinoura  - Sanjo, Japan

BEST FOR: Those wanting a petty made by a God.

SAUNDERS SAYS: "bar the usually stuff, my most expensive possession by a country mile is one of his knives. Anything you get from him is utterly jaw dropping and this ‘affordable’ range is no expectation. Buy them while you can.”