Hatsukokoro Honesuki Ginsanko Tsuchime 150mm (5.9")

Hatsukokoro Honesuki Ginsanko Tsuchime 150mm is a Japanese-style boning knife with a special, triangular-shaped stiff blade, designed for deboning poultry and cutting through soft joints.

Crafted from high-quality Ginsanko (Silver Steel No. 3) with a hardness of approximately 63 HRC, the blade is exceptionally thin, precise, and durable. This steel offers exceptional rust resistance, long-lasting edge retention, and easy maintenance, making the knife perfect for both professional chefs and home cooks.

BLADE SHAPE:
Originally intended for poultry and small animals (such as rabbits), the Honesuki is a Japanese-style knife that is highly effective for larger butchering and filleting of fish. Its blade features a thick heel that is ideal for scraping meat off bones, as well as a thinner tip that allows for precise cuts. While it is not advisable to use excessive force when cutting through bone with this knife, it is well-suited for separating tendons and cartilage.

The "reverse tanto" tip design increases the strength of the tip, which can be used to easily pierce the skin, as well as to make precise cuts in tight spots, like the joints. Its shape also allows making quick turns, great for trimming away fat and connective tissue.

Standard honesuki knives have an asymmetrical grind, meaning they are usually suited only for right-handed users, while this one is sharpened to a 50/50 angle and fits both right and left-handed users.

STEEL:
Hitachi's Silver III steel, also named Ginsan steel or Ginsanko, was hardened to around 63 HRC. Due to its high content of Chromium (Cr), Ginsan steel will resist corrosion very well. Despite it being a stainless steel, it feels and behaves very similarly to carbon steels, due to its extremely pure composition. 

LAMINATION:
The core layer consisting of the harder Ginsan steel was sandwiched between two layers of softer steel. This technique is called san-mai and is used to protect the hard (but delicate) core from outside factors and physical impacts, which could lead to breakage.

GEOMETRY:
It has a double bevel (symmetrical) blade. The cutting edge is sharpened to a 50/50 angle and stays sharp even after hours of constant use.

BLADE FINISH:
The minimalistic-looking, highly polished (also called migaki finish - see article Blade Construction: Blade Finish for more) blade is extremely thin, which allows the user to work precisely even with the smallest pieces of ingredients. The surface of the blade was treated with a special textured hammer, leaving complex geometric impressions on its upper part.

HANDLE:
The knife features an octagon Japanese (Wa) style handle made out of ebony wood. The octagon shape of the handle provides a comfortable and secure grip, allowing for precise control during use.