Hatsukokoro Kujaku V-Toku2 Rainbow Damascus Santoku

The first impression for most will likely be the looks of this knife (more later) but in terms of performance and profile this is an impressive performer made along the same sort flat ground laser profile with extremely thin edge seen on a lot of Hatsukokoro's "Hayabusa" knives.

They're consistently impressive, well finished and enjoyable to use.

The copper and brass layering in the stainless steel cladding are quite simply stunning. We're not shy about our love for rainbow damascus finishes, they're aesthetically pleasing and when they're as rich and varied as the Kujaku here it's a joy.

The V-Toku2 core steel is a reactive carbon steel so the san-mai clad core will darken and patina over time and use to contrast that high polish finish on the cladding too.

The Kujaku is a thin and relatively lightweight laser profile knife and features the nice touches we'd expect at knives in this price bracket, the slightly rounded spine and heel are comfortable in hand and enjoyable to use in a wide range of jobs.

V-Toku2 is a high-carbon "specialty" alloy produced by Takefu Special Steel in Japan. It is often described as a bridge between traditional Japanese high-carbon steels (like Hitachi’s Blue Paper steel) and more modern, cleaner alloys.

In the world of kitchen knives, V-Toku2 has been designed to achieve extreme sharpness while remaining slightly more "approachable" for the maker and user than some of its counterparts.

The core steel is reactive so will develop a patina as it reacts with the acids and moisture in your foods. Other than that, our normal care instructions always apply and for day to day care. 

For longer term care and upkeep we recommend our carbon steel care kit which has everything you need to keep your carbon knives in tip top condition.