Gihei Hamono has been operational for over 80 years. It is currently run by 2nd generation Hosowaka-san and his son. They have been predominantly specialising in high end powder steels for many years now. 

SHAPE: Santoku. Named after the three best things to do with this knife - slicing, dicing and mincing. It is the classic prep knife with both good breadth and width.

STEEL: HAP40. This is a Semi stainless powder steel manufactured by Hitachi steel. It has high amounts of tungsten, vanadium, molybdenum and cobalt making it a very tough steel. Add to this over 1.2% carbon and we have a steel capable of extreme hardness and edge retention. 

FINISH: Polished or Migaki.

HANDLE: Octagonal Keyaki or Zelkova wood with a buffalo horn ferrule.

LENGTH: 165mm in length.

MAKER: Gihei - Sanjo, Japan

BEST FOR: Top of the line knives in crazy steels.

SAUNDERS SAYS: "I waited two years for this and every moment was worth. Everything they produce is phenomenal and we have quite the collection. I had the pleasure of visiting their forge in autumn 2019. The workshop is tiny and it’s mind blowing to think the produce this array from there."

These knives are hand-forged so there may be slight variations in measurements and finishes.