"Damascus knife Kyusakichi Petty, ZDP189"
Smiths - tools for daily life.
Early, in the ancient times, there were many craftsmen called \"Field Blacksmiths\" on the Japanese island of Kyushu. These blacksmiths supported the daily life of local people by making and repairing various kinds of tools for them. These tools included knives and cutting tools for cooking, farming, fishing, forestry, and many other work uses.
Yoshida Hamono Co, Ltd. was founded as Field Blacksmith. In the long history of the company, Yoshida has forged very many kinds of cutlery for a wide range of customers. Traditional craftsmanship, proven production technology and high expertise has been passed down from generation to generation in the workshop, constantly improving and adding to it.
Cooking knives should be beautiful, but they must also prove themselves as a tool that can be used every day. The longer they are used and cared for, the better they feel in the hand and the stronger the connection between the tool and the user becomes. In general, the Japanese also take great care of utilitarian tools with the goal of long-lasting use. Yoshida's aim is for its products to match this mentality, to satisfy as best as possible the desire for products with a long service life in Japan and among all international customers. This is only possible through the highest quality and care from material selection to manufacturing and delivery.
ZDP-189, the new premium knife steel
ZDP-189 represents the highest grade stainless steels manufactured by Hitachi Metals Ltd. Hitachi is a highly respected steel manufacturer in Japan, with many well-known knife steels coming from its house. The powder metallurgical steel ZDP-189 was developed especially for cutting tools. It has a particularly fine and uniform microstructure and combines three properties that are highly valued in cutting tools: very high sharpening potential, very high sharpness retention and excellent corrosion properties. ZDP189 achieves these properties with its unusual alloy: 20% chromium, 3% carbon, etc. The steel is not easy to work but extremely hard to forge. An experienced blacksmith can achieve a hardness of up to 67 HRC, the highest value we know for knife steels.
Usage and Safety Instructions
Japanese kitchen knives are made from extremely hard steels and are forged and sharpened thinner than their European counterparts. Some of these knives have very finely ground cutting layers, making them more delicate and suitable only for soft materials. Please refer to the product details for related information. Knives with a very thin edge and hollow grind are particularly prone to chipping. While they are excellent for fine cuts of soft materials, they should be used with appropriate caution. When sharpening on a whetstone, an angled edge is usually formed, which makes the blade more stable over time.
Chipping of the edge can also occur due to leverage forces or when cutting frozen foods, which can significantly lower the steel's temperature. Leverage forces often arise when cutting materials with bones, for example. Check your knife's edge after each use. If chipping does occur, thoroughly check if you have removed all fragments from the food. If necessary, it may be safer to discard the food. Chips in the edge may need to be ground out by a professional.
The knife should generally be used with a pulling or pushing motion, without applying much pressure. To maintain sharpness, avoid cutting on stone, glass, or other hard surfaces. Do not use a honing steel for sharpening. Waterstones are recommended (grit: 400-1200 for rough sharpening, 3000 for fine sharpening, 6000 or more to polish the edge) and possibly a leather strop.
Keep the knife out of reach of children. These knives are extremely sharp, so please handle them with care.
All products are unique, so slight variations from the sample image are possible.
Care Instructions
For knives made from delicate steel types, such as Aogami, Shirogami, or V-Toku, please clean them occasionally with a cloth and water, even during extended use. Acidic foods may still cause discoloration in these traditional carbon steels. After use, wash by hand with hot water and, if necessary, use a neutral detergent. Never put the knife in the dishwasher. After cleaning, dry thoroughly, oil if necessary, and store in a well-ventilated place. Residual moisture can cause rust in non-stainless steels. Please refer to our ORYOKI Japan blog for product care tips.
Clean the knife by hand and do not use a dishwasher. Dry it thoroughly after cleaning.
