The word santoku translates as "three virtues", which refers to the cutting of meat, fish and vegetables or the following three types of cutting: chopping, slicing and dicing. Very versatile, the santoku is one of the types of knives we recommend as the first or main knife in the kitchen.
Futana is the name of a line of Hitohira's house knives. As with all products that carry Hitohira's trademark (ひとひら (一片)), a high standard of quality is assured. Under the name of Futana you will be able to find knives of any profile made of stainless or semi-stainless steel. In addition, you will be able to find these blades with several different types of finishes; nashiji, kurouchi, damascus etc.
AUS-10 is a stainless steel produced by Aichi Steel, located in Tokai City, Aichi Prefecture. AUS-10 offers a balance of high cutting edge retention and high corrosion resistance, resulting in a sharp and easy to maintain blade. The AUS-10 version of the AUS steel series is of higher quality than the others due to its carbon content of 1.05%.
AUS-10 is a steel comparable to VG-10. It has better wear resistance, but is slightly less hard. It is less likely to break under impact and twisting than the average Japanese steel. However, it is more likely to bend or twist. It is therefore the perfect steel for knives suggested to people who have less experience with Japanese blades.