Every woman should have a little black dress, and every chef a little black set.

Meet your new favorite power couple - The Carbons.

The set consists of:
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Small yet fierce, these two hand-forged knives can tackle almost any cutting task except the occasional large cut of meat. They are made from high-carbon SUJ-2 steel (63-64 HRC), known for its fine sharpness, long edge retention, and ease of sharpening. The kuro-uchi blade finish on top of the blades is unprocessed and has already developed a dark patina, which protects the blades from rust. It gives the knives a rustic, striking look, which is all the more captivating in combination with the traditional Japanese handle. The handle is made from high-quality rosewood and is topped with a Japanese cedar ferrule. Because of its octagonal shape, it is suitable for both left- and right-handed users.

Due to the high-carbon steel blade, the knives require some extra maintenance. After use, rinse them well and dry them. is recommended for the care of such blades.

BLADE PROFILE:
The Ajikiri is a smaller, thinner version of the traditional . It can be used for all smaller cutting tasks in-hand and on the cutting board, much like the petty. The blade shape was originally designed for preparing smaller fish, such as mackerel, from which its name is derived - in Japanese, 'Aji' means mackerel, and combined with the word 'kiri' (jap. knife), the name 鯵切 ajikiri literally means 'a knife for a mackerel'. 

The Santoku Funayuki is a versatile kitchen knife that will excel at all kinds of chopping and cutting on the cutting board, only missing an inch of length when it comes to large cuts of meat. The Funayuki differs from the basic Santoku knife in the shape of the blade: the slope of the blade slowly rises towards the tip of the knife, creating a slight curve in the belly of the blade. This loses the standard Santoku blade shape, which resembles a sheep's foot, and creates a thinner blade that resembles a deba in shape, but is extremely thin and precise (and not suitable for chopping bones and robust tasks). The curve makes the knife more suitable for certain chopping techniques, such as rocking. The pronounced tip and triangular design will be great for cutting smaller pieces of meat and filleting fish.

STEEL:
The blades are forged from SUJ-2 steel, which offers incredible capacities, hardness 63-64 HRC, and, at the same time, is very easy to resharpen. The blades require some extra maintenance and will develop a with use. After use, rinse the blades well and dry them.

LAMINATION:
The core of the blades was laminated using the san-mai method to improve their structural integrity and subsequent ability to withstand impacts and prevent chipping. San-mai translates to “three layers” in Japanese, referring to a blade that is composed of a primary, inner layer of harder steel (hagane) and of two secondary, outer layers of softer steel (jigane) that protect the prior.
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GEOMETRY:
They have a double bevel (symmetrical) blade (50/50) with a convex v-edge grind.

BLADE FINISH:
The blades have a raw kurouchi finish which gives them a rustic appearance. The stamp on the blade 吉 (Kichi) means luck.

HANDLE:
The blades are fitted with a traditional Japanese wa hande in an octagonal shape. The handles are made from rosewood and topped with a ferrule made from Japanese cedar wood.

SMITHY:
Yoshida Hamono is a family-owned Japanese company with an age-long tradition in manufacturing state-of-the-art tools and Japanese swords (katanas) by hand. The company has a workshop in the Japanese town of Saga. It is well-known for manufacturing metal products in tested corrosion-resistant materials, such as VG-10, Ginsan and Swedish steel. You can learn more about them and our visit to their workshop .