About Tetsuhiro Kanko - Kiryu Kogyo has been producing knives since 1927. In such a prominent knife-making region as Sanjo, the Kiryu family stands out as early pioneers of stainless steel knives. Satoshi Kiryu-san is the third generation knifemaker in the family, and while he usually make very simple blades with western handles, he's finally branched out to craft these incredible blades. I think he’s going to find himself making a lot more of these in the future…

I mean COME. ON. Look at this thing! This wildly textured damascus steel gives me whiplash every time I walk past my kitchen and stop to stare at it. As gorgeous as it is, it also comes down to a laser-thin edge that blasts through vegetables. No wonder they picked the name ‘Kanko’, which translates to ‘Winter beam or light in Winter’.

SG2 stainless steel is very modern stuff; easy to maintain but capable of keeping an edge longer than most traditional high-carbon steels. Paired with a tasteful ebony handle, the whole package is absolute perfection. 1000 out of 10!