Michio Ishikawa Santoku chefs Knife Japanese Knife 120mm Shirogami Steel cutlery

Michio Ishikawa is the last smith in Japan to use the Nakaniida proprietary technique. He makes these knifes on his own from start to finish and only makes single bevel blades. Because he doesn't employ anyone to assist with making his knifes he makes the forging process and the blade edge a priority over fit and finish.The knife I received had a couple of small marks on the blade from the forging process but they in no way affected the functionality of the blade or aesthetic; if anything they gave it a little personality. The handle is unfinished wood (not sure what type) with a plastic ferrule but it is well attached with plenty of epoxy to hold the blade in place and prevent it from rusting in the handle. Out of the box sharpness cut paper easily but wasn't shaving sharp.I work in a professional kitchen and wanted to see how much abuse the out of the box edge could take before I sharpened it for the first time. I used it for four hours straight on everything I did (some tasks being absurd to do with a 120mm single bevel santoku) the blade didn't seem to dull at all and was comfortable/easy to use. I sharpened it on a 5k Shapton right after preping with it (5k because even though I've been sharpening knifes for over 15 years I have only been sharpening single bevel knifes the last 6 months and didn't want to take to much material off; also I wanted to see how easily it sharpened) and I took about 4 minutes to bring the edge up to shaving sharp (shocked me how easily it sharpened).After another two weeks of use, not nearly as much use as the first day, it was still retaining its edge reasonably well but wasn't close to shaving sharp anymore so I took it to the 5k again and it took about six minutes to get the edge back to how I wanted it.Michio Ishikawa's knifes are well worth the money. The 120 mm santoku I purchased replaced my petty as my everyday go to small knife. If you are looking for affordable/quality hand forged single bevel blades I highly recommend these.