Made by Ryusen Hamono, Echizen City, Fukui Prefecture, Japan Specifications: Blade Profile: 165mm, Gradual Curvature to Tip Steel: SG2 Core (63 HRC), Stainless Cladding Handle: Western Pakkawood Handle Grind: Very Thin Hamaguri (Convex) Balance: At the Bolster This is the last available piece of the discontinued Ryusen SuperGold line, the predecessor of the legendary Ryusen Blazen. The steel is heat treated in the same way, and the grind is a very thin Hamaguri. This knife features Ryusen's traditional kanji which is very rare to see nowadays. Looks can be deceiving - this knife is built for pure performance and will vastly outperform cheap knives that look similar to it. Ryusen undoubtedly represents some of the best attention to detail among even the top knifemakers in Japan. I've had the pleasure to inspect and use several of their lines including the Blazen, TanganRyu, FukakuRyu, Bonten Unryu, and even a special order line - each and every knife has been consistently very good with no apparent flaws in craftsmanship. The finish on this knife can be described as Migaki (aka Polished) - a simple but elegant aesthetic. SG2, interchangeably known as R2 steel, is made through powdered metallurgy to minimise the carbide sizes formed in the steel. This results in a steel that can be hardened to 63 HRC without being extremely brittle. This high hardness and a high concentration of small carbides allows this steel to have high edge retention, where an average home cook can go many months or even a year without the need for any sharpening. Ryusen's particular choice of heat treatment of SG2 allows the steel to sharpen well despite its hardness and abrasion resistance. As with any knife purchase, professional sharpening is included in the price. I will provide final sharpening on the knife and tailor the knife's edge according to your preferences if you send me a message. If no special requests are made, the default edge I will put on this knife is a 1000/4000 grit hybrid capable of passing very extreme cutting tests. #RefinedEdgePH #Ryusen #SG2 #Santoku