Yoshida Tosa Santoku SUJ-2 Kuro-uchi 170mm (6.7") - BLADE
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✔︎ No import fees & duties - worldwide |
- Description
- Specifications
- Knife Care
- Shipping
The Yoshida Tosa Santoku SUJ-2 Kuro-uchi 170mm (6.7") is a compact and versatile all-purpose kitchen knife, ideal for everyday prep work. Hand-forged by Yoshida Hamono in Japan, this santoku is well-balanced and efficient—perfect for slicing, dicing, and chopping vegetables, meat, and fish with control and ease.
At 170mm in length, this santoku hits the sweet spot for most home cooks—long enough for a range of tasks but compact enough for control and maneuverability on smaller cutting boards. It’s a reliable, go-to knife for fast, efficient meal prep.
This blade is sold without a handle, giving you the freedom to create a fully custom look and feel. Browse our selection of handles to complete your knife. Want us to install one for you? Simply select the Handle Fitting Service when adding the blade to your cart.
BLADE SHAPE:
The santoku, meaning “three virtues,” refers to its ability to handle meat, fish, and vegetables with equal skill. It’s the Japanese equivalent of a Western chef’s knife, but with a slightly shorter, taller blade and a flatter edge profile that excels at straight-down chopping and push-cutting techniques.
STEEL:
The blade is forged from SUJ-2, a high-carbon tool steel prized for its exceptional hardness (63–64 HRC), long-lasting edge retention, and ease of resharpening. Thanks to its high carbon content, it performs like a true workhorse—but also requires a bit of extra care. After use, rinse thoroughly and dry immediately to prevent rust.
LAMINATION:
This santoku features san-mai lamination, a traditional Japanese method where a hard steel core (hagane) is sandwiched between two softer outer layers (jigane). This triple-layer construction improves the blade’s structural integrity, enhances toughness, and helps prevent chipping—all while maintaining a sharp, high-performance edge.
GEOMETRY:
The double-bevel blade is symmetrically ground, making it suitable for both left- and right-handed users. A distal taper ensures the blade becomes gradually thinner from heel to tip—providing strength and power at the base, and precision at the tip for smooth, accurate cuts.
BLADE FINISH:
The blade features a kuro-uchi finish—a rustic, darkened upper section that forms during forging and is left unpolished. “Kuro” means black in Japanese, and this aesthetic is both traditional and functional: it helps protect the blade from oxidation while giving it a bold, distinctive look.
ABOUT THE BLACKSMITH:
This knife is hand-forged at Yoshida Hamono, a family-run smithy in Japan with a long tradition of crafting high-performance tools and swords, including handmade katanas. Known for their mastery of modern steels like ZDP-189, Yoshida Hamono blends centuries-old forging techniques with cutting-edge metallurgy to create blades that stand the test of time.
Blade shape: Santoku
Steel type: SUJ-2
Blade construction: san-mai / v-edge / kuro-uchi
Hardness (HRC scale): 63-64
Overall length: 278mm (10.9")
Blade length: 170mm (6.7")
Blade height: 41mm (1.6")
Spine thickness: 2.1mm (0.08")
Weight: 80g (2.8 oz)
Recommended handle size: M
Kanji on the blade:
Blacksmith: Yoshida Hamono
Location of the smithy: SAGA / Saga Prefecture / Japan
☝️ Japanese kitchen knives in our store are handmade from natural materials. Slight variations in color, texture, weight and other dimensions are possible. We try to give a good photographic representation of our products, however computer screen resolution and colors do vary, so products might not look exactly as they are seen on screen.
☝️ THIS KNIFE MAY DEVELOP PATINA
Knives made of carbon steels can, due to their low chromium (Cr) content, discolor and develop patina. The knife is the most sensitive when it is still new and a patina had not developed yet, but later, patina will protect the blade. These types of knives require a touch more care:
✔ Wipe it regularly with a clean and dry cloth (you can also do this during use).
✔ After use, rinse it with lukewarm water and wipe it dry.
✔ Coat it regularly with knife maintenance oil or plain refined sunflower oil.
✔ Store the knife by wrapping it in paper which will absorb moisture and protect the blade.
A patina is a thin layer that forms on the surface of oxidized steel and protects it from further oxidation. The patina should not be confused with rust. Patina protects the blade, while rust causes corrosion and deterioration of material, so it should be removed (see Rust erasers).
→ For in-depth information about patina, read our dedicated post on patina.
GENERAL KNIFE CARE TIPS:
Blade wear depends on the quality of steel, usage and maintenance of the blade. Japanese knives are made of high-quality steels. Follow these tips to keep your Japanese knife in top-notch shape:
✔ Use a wooden, plastic or rubber cutting board.
✔ After use, wash the knives and wipe them dry.
✔ For storage, use a knife holder or a protective knife sheath (saya).
✔ A good cutting technique is your best bet to prolong sharpness.
✔ Use sharpening stones to sharpen the knife.
❗️Don’t leave the knife in the sink. Wash it by hand.
❗️Don’t wash the knife in the dishwasher.
❗️Don’t use the knife on glass, ceramics, marble or steel surfaces.
❗️Don’t scrape the food off the cutting board with the edge of the blade. Use the spine of the knife instead.
❗️Knife is a tool intended for specific use - cutting food. It is not a can opener, screwdriver, trowel, wire cutter, hammer etc.
→ For more details, read our guide
on Maintenance of Kitchen Knives.
🤙 Contact us if you need some help. We reply within 1 business day.
SHIPPING RATES:
- €10 - flat worldwide rate with DHL Express (express delivery, 2-5 business days).
- FREE - all orders over €300 (DHL Express).
EXCEPTIONS:
- United Kingdom - shipping to UK costs €15. All orders are shipped with UPS Express (2-3 business days). Free shipping on orders over €300.
- Russia (currently not available) - shipping to Russia costs €40. All orders are shipped with EMS postal service.
DUTIES AND IMPORT TAXES:
We ship all orders DDP (duties & taxes paid). This means you will not be charged for any import fees and taxes (including VAT). All our prices are final. The price you see at checkout is the final price, no hidden costs.
DELIVERY TIME:
- Europe: 1-2 business days
- US & Canada: 2-4 business days
- Rest of the World: 3-5 business days
RETURNS:
Our return policy lasts 30 days. If more than 30 days have gone by since the day you received your order, unfortunately we can’t offer you a refund or exchange.
→ Read our SHIPPING & RETURNS policy for more info. We strive to solve any issues fast and with as little hassle for you. If you have some additional questions, please contact us.
Each knife comes with:
✔️ Instructions and knife care leaflet.
✔️ A preventive Band-Aid – the knives are very sharp! 😉
✔️ Original box from the blacksmith, which we wrap in an old Japanese newspaper sheet – so every knife is ready to be passed on as a gift as soon as it hits your doorstep!
✔️ We also offer a special gift wrapping option with the traditional Japanese washi paper.
Have you ever tried to match the individual handles and blades on our website to make your own custom knife?
Knife configurator
Now that’s a lot of options! It can be hard to visualize the end result and see whether the chosen handle and blade are a good match.
That’s why we’ve just launched the SharpEdge Configurator - a digital mix-and-match tool that you can use to assemble your very own custom knife!
Knife handles
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![Japanese handle - Kyoto Sunset [octagon]_3](http://sharpedgeshop.com/cdn/shop/products/KyotoSunset_1_360x.jpg?v=1746439438)
![Handle fitting [service]_1](http://sharpedgeshop.com/cdn/shop/products/service_360x.png?v=1666343988)
Handle Fitting service
Add Handle Fitting service to your cart when you order a blade (knife without a handle) and a custom handle from us and want us to install the handle on the blade for you.
Quiz
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