The Japanese word Gyuto (牛刀) literally translates to beef sword. The gyuto is the equivalent of the Western chef's knife, and is designed to cut everything: vegetables, meats and fishes. It is made to be used with the push-cut method, lifting the blade between each cutting motion, or with the rocking motion method. It is important that the blade is straight upon impact with the cutting board to avoid damage to the knife edge.
In Japanese, the kanji forming the word Hado (刃道) represent "the road of blades". Another Japanese word, also pronounced "Hado", means "moving wave". These two definitions speak volumes about the philosophy behind the Hado project from Fukui Co & Ltd, a highly reputable Japanese knife sales company with a 109-year history.
Hado is Fukui Co & Ltd's first "in-house" series! The project stands out mainly for its daring departure from the beaten track. Indeed, it all began when Tadataka Maruyama, who was in charge of sales and warehouse management at the company, went to see President Ryuichiro Fukui to tell him that he wanted to leave his position in order to learn the art of "hatsuke" (blade grinding). President Fukui saw in Maruyama a burning desire and seized an opportunity. This is where the story gets interesting: the president agreed that Murayama would leave his position at Fukui Co & Ltd to learn blade grinding, on condition that Murayama would return to the company three years later and become the company's senior grinder. He accepted the offer, and during those three years he was paid a salary and the company prepared a workshop with the best possible equipment. Afterwards, this workshop awaited only the return of the new grinder Maruyama was to become. So, add up the president's vision, mutual trust, passion and, above all, a huge amount of work, and you get Hado: a small wave in motion with far-reaching repercussions.
Since Fukui had very good contacts in the field, Maruyama learned directly from the great masters, notably Syotaro Nomura and Masaaki Nakamura. Normally, it's said that it takes at least ten years to master blade grinding, and that it also takes several years of observation before you can touch the blades. Since Maruyama was able to start straight away and, after his first three years of apprenticeship, a new workshop in which to hone his mastery of "hatsuke" was waiting for him, he quickly achieved a satisfactory and respected mastery in Sakai. Indeed, even Yoshikazu Tanaka, one of Japan's most renowned master blacksmiths, agreed to collaborate with Fukui Co & Ltd and Tadataka Maruyama on two of Hado's flagship series.
Hado's Sumi series is forged from Shirogami 2(number 2 white steel) by Master Blacksmith Yoshikazu Tanaka and honed by Tadataka Maruyama of Fukui Co & Ltd. Covered with oxidizable soft iron steel and sporting a beautiful kurouchi finish, the Sumi series will appeal to the more traditionalist among us who can appreciate the aspects of a full carbon blade. Built with a higher blade height, the Sumi series stands out from other Hado series. Coupled with Tadataka's concave grinding that gives a very thin edge, these blades can be described as laser-like. We recommend this series to professional cooks who have experience with full carbon blades, to traditional japanese knife enthusiasts and to anyone who is ready to make the leap into the world of carbon knives.
