Santoku • 175 mm • Redesigned walnut handle • SG-2 core •  san mai layered steel  with a Nashiji finish (pear skin) • for both left and right handed use

These mind blowing Blazen series are constructed out of a core of SG-2, sandwiched between 2 layers of stainless steel. The blade is relatively thin, with a medium / light weight resulting in a balance spot a little more towards the beginning of the blade. The knife sends loads of information while being held partly due to the perfectly redesigned Japanese octagonal handle.

Features of the Blazen series

The beautiful lines of damascus steel on the blade end up in a higher positioned Nashiji finish. Esthetically intriguing and in combination with the thin blade, it also provides little resistance while cutting.

The combination of handle, weight, balance and the extremely thin and sharp cutting edge give tremendous comfort while cutting. The core of the blade consists of SG-2 steel, also known as powder metallurgic steel, supplied by Takefu steel in Fukui. The SG-2 steel is hardened in a salt bath after forging, which results in the correct hardness and toughness of the steel. After thinning and sharpening, this results in sharpness for a long time. This top series from Ryusen has the hardest blade from all Ryusen models: 63 HRC.

Elwin de Veld about Ryusen knives

When I started sharpening knives, I sometimes got hold of a very special model, probably imported by a customer themselves. A Ryusen knife was one of them. To precisely measure the quality of steel, there is no better measure than the actual manual sharpening of a knife: Ryusen belongs to the absolute top in the world of handmade Japanese kitchen knives.

Until some time ago, Ryusen made various models on OEM base in Echizen, but recently they focus entirely on their own company. Ryusen has spent a lot of time researching in the field of manufacturing (forging, hardening, grinding and finishing), as well as receiving feedback from the professional end user. Their dedication, perseverance and only settling for the very best ensure that every knife is perfectly finished and meets the highest requirements of a completely handmade chef's knife. The complete process from forging to the design of the box is carried out by Ryusen in-house. I am very proud to be an importer of Ryusen.