Tamahagane is the root of the Japanese Samurai Sword and the name was used only on very high quality swords. SAN 3-ply steel blade and also San Kyoto 63-ply steel blade are made by repeated rolling and trained many times. Tamahagane produces in an ancient way with the modern technique by repeating rolling process, all impure materials in the alloy are extracted from the material and the blade becomes harder and more durable.
For more than 600 years Japan produced the well-known sword called Katana. SAN Knives are made with the knowledge that had been accumulated since then. The characteristics of the steel are modified, using plural clad material which makes the knives very easy to re-sharpen.
During the lastest years of the Edo era from A.D 1680 to 1850 in Japan, people could enjoy a peaceful life as there was no war and the Samurai hardly used his sword. At that time, it was very popular to decorate or trim the words by various ways of etching, stamping, etc., in addition to the function of its sharpness. There are many beautiful Katanas which were made during this period. Incorporating this fashion into the SAN Knives gives another artistic feature to make the knives even more beautiful.
The Japanese symbol SAN means brilliant and radiant in English, thus the knives will shine proudly in your kitchen creating historic and artistic ambience.
The santoku is mainly used for vegetables and fish. Since they are flatter, the wrist is in a more natural position and the shoulder does not need to be raised as high. These knives do not need as much room to cut. These are the most popular knives in most Japanese homes.
The SAN KYOTO Tamahagane knives feature 63-ply stainless steel construction. The core or middle layer is VG No. 5. The core layer is the cutting edge and is 61 degrees on the Rockwell scale for hardness. There are 31 layers of SUS410 stainless steel on each side of the middle layer. These 31 layers on each side create a beautiful damascus pattern which make the knives very distinctive. The outside layers are softer and more stain resistant than the cutting edge and actually protect the cutting edge