Kanetsune Knives manufactured in Seki

Kanetsune's light and well-balanced knives represent the best of modern Japanese cutlery. The quality of their steel, ranging from high carbon steel to hand hammered Damascus steel, is the result of hundreds of years of development. The chef's knives and fixed blade knives are top of the line; you won't regret investing in one of their blades.

Choose your knife carefully. If you need help, you will find a guide to the different carbon steels at the bottom of the page and our expert customer service team is always available to guide you through your purchase.

Carbon steels used by Kanetsune

Steel is a compound of iron and carbon. To be classified as high carbon steel, it must contain between 0.6 and 1.7% carbon. Higher carbon content results in a sharper cutting edge.

To be considered stainless steel, the steel must have a chromium content greater than 12%. Although all steels contain carbon, steels that do not contain chromium are generally referred to as carbon steels. The differences between carbon steels can be subtle, but they all contribute to a specific knife experience.

WHITE STEEL (SIROGAMI) #1 & #2

White steel or "White Paper Steel" is made from a fine grained carbon steel that does not contain many contaminants in the iron, which means that the knives made are capable of being sharpened like a razor. Many sashimi chefs love white steel knives because they can create very fine and precise cuts of fish, vegetables and garnishes.

Highly volatile and difficult to forge, white steel varies in carbon content. No. 1 is the richest and will hold its edge the best. However, it is also the most brittle, which is why #2 is the most used by chefs.

BLUE STEEL #1 & #2, AND SUPER BLUE STEEL

Blue steel contains tungsten and chromium added to iron and carbon to facilitate the tempering process and to obtain a knife that retains its edge longer than a white steel knife, but is not as sharp.

Like white steel #1 and #2, blue steel #1 has more carbon than its companion #2 and super blue high carbon steel has added vanadium for wear resistance and has the longest edge life of the blue steels.