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.
Go Yoshizawa is a creative craftsman who is making the family business shine. He is the head-chef of the Nigara's forge, one of the most renowned forges in Japan and worldwide, and famous for damascus work. Yoshizawa-san builds on the solid foundation of steelworking that he has developed over the years to discover and explore new processes. Nigara's forge and its craftsmen continue to amaze us with knives that are as beautiful as they are performing.
VG-10 is a stainless steel produced by Takefu Special Steel in the early 1960s. It is still in use more than 60 years later. This steel was specially designed for knife making and is used by many blacksmiths in Japan. Despite the 15% chromium in its composition which gives it a high corrosion resistance, VG-10 can reach an HRC of 60-61. This is due to the addition of 1.5% Cobalt, which gives the steel a higher hardness with a high temperature quenching treatment.