Yoshida Petty Ginsanko Kuro-uchi Golden Sandalwood 120mm (4.7") is a handcrafted Japanese utility knife designed for precise, smaller kitchen tasks. Its exceptionally thin blade made from Ginsanko stainless steel delivers smooth, controlled cuts, excellent sharpness, and easy maintenance. The traditional kuro-uchi finish gives the blade a distinctive rustic character, while the light golden sandalwood handle creates an elegant contrast and provides a comfortable, secure grip.

The blade is handmade at the Yoshida Hamono smithy in Saga Prefecture, southern Japan. Ginsanko, also known as Ginsan or Silver 3, is a Japanese stainless steel valued for its fine grain structure, excellent cutting performance, and relatively easy sharpening. The extremely thin blade geometry reduces cutting resistance and allows precise preparation of smaller ingredients. Its compact 120mm length makes this petty exceptionally maneuverable and practical for tasks that require greater control.

BLADE SHAPE:

Petty is a small Japanese utility knife designed for precision cutting and detailed kitchen work. Its narrow blade, pointed tip, and compact size make it ideal for peeling, trimming, cleaning, and slicing smaller ingredients.

At 120mm (4.7"), this petty is particularly useful for preparing fruit and vegetables, trimming herbs, cleaning mushrooms, removing seeds, and performing other tasks where a larger chef's knife would be less practical.

➝ TIP: Ideal for precise trimming, scoring, and detailed preparation.
➝ NARROW BLADE: Provides excellent control when working with smaller ingredients.
➝ COMPACT LENGTH: Makes the knife easy to maneuver during delicate cutting tasks.

The petty is an excellent companion to a larger chef's knife, such as a gyuto or santoku. It handles smaller tasks that require precision and agility, allowing the larger knife to be reserved for more demanding preparation work.

STEEL:

The blade is forged from Ginsanko stainless steel (Silver 3), also known as Ginsan. This Japanese steel combines excellent cutting performance, good edge retention, and corrosion resistance with relatively easy maintenance.

Ginsanko is particularly valued for its fine, clean grain structure, which allows it to take a very sharp, refined cutting edge. Despite being stainless, it shares some sharpening characteristics with traditional carbon steels, making it relatively straightforward to resharpen.

Its chromium content provides good resistance to rust, meaning the blade does not develop the characteristic patina associated with traditional carbon steel knives. This makes Ginsanko an excellent choice for cooks who want the cutting performance of a Japanese knife without demanding maintenance.

Although the steel is stainless, we still recommend washing the knife by hand and drying it thoroughly after use.

LAMINATION:

The blade features a traditional san-mai construction, in which the harder Ginsanko steel core is protected by two outer layers of softer steel.

San-mai translates to "three layers" in Japanese. The softer outer layers provide additional support to the hard core and improve the overall durability of the blade.

GEOMETRY:

The blade features a double-bevel (symmetrical) geometry and an exceptionally thin profile, allowing precise cutting with minimal resistance.

The narrow blade is particularly suitable for working with smaller ingredients and reaching areas where a wider knife would be less convenient. Its pointed tip provides excellent control during detailed trimming and delicate preparation.

Thanks to its compact length and thin geometry, this petty is highly maneuverable and comfortable to handle. Learn more about how different blade profiles affect cutting performance in our guide to blade geometry.

BLADE FINISH:

The blade features a traditional kuro-uchi finish, characterized by its dark, rustic surface on the upper portion of the blade. The Japanese word "kuro" means black, referring to the dark appearance left by the forging and finishing process.

The dark surface creates a striking contrast with the polished lower portion of the blade and the warm, golden tones of the sandalwood handle. Besides its distinctive appearance, the kuro-uchi finish may provide some additional surface protection, although proper knife care is still essential.

HANDLE:

The knife is fitted with a traditional Japanese wa handle made from light-colored golden sandalwood. Its warm, natural golden tones create an elegant contrast with the dark kuro-uchi blade, highlighting the knife's traditional Japanese aesthetics.

The wooden handle provides a comfortable, secure grip and precise control during cutting. Natural variations in the color and grain of the wood give each handle its own individual character, while its lightweight construction complements the compact blade and allows comfortable handling during detailed preparation.

ABOUT THE BLACKSMITH:

The knife is manufactured at the smithy of Yoshida Hamono, a Japanese family-owned company based in Saga Prefecture with a long tradition of working with steel, including the production of traditional Japanese swords, or katanas.

Today, Yoshida Hamono combines traditional forging knowledge with modern steel processing, including high-performance powder steels. The company is especially well known for its knives made from ZDP-189 steel, which are appreciated by Japanese knife enthusiasts around the world.

Their knives reflect years of experience in traditional and modern Japanese blade manufacturing, with careful attention to blade geometry, cutting performance, and craftsmanship.