Santoku with 180 mm blade length.

The final shipment from the legendary blacksmith Itou, who is sadly now deseased. Itou continued working until the autumn of 2025 despite being over 80 years old.

The blade has dark-etched nickel Damascus with a core steel of powdered SG2 (R2).
The handmade handle in stabilized birch burl is sculpted to fit the hand—a fascinating and unique handle.

Steel: SG-2 powdered steel with nickel Damascus cladding (HRC 62–63)
Blade height at the heel: 53 mm
Edge length: 180 mm
Weight: 181 grams

Itou was born in Fukui Prefecture, Japan, in 1942. After graduating from university, he became a PE teacher. But his true passion was knife making, and he often considered leaving the teaching profession to devote himself entirely to his craft. Each time, those around him persuaded him to stay on as a teacher, and he remained in the profession until retirement.

When he retired, he declared: “Now I can make knives the way I want,” and he kept that promise. He spent the rest of his life freely creating knives exactly as he wished. Many people make knives to earn money, but he made only the knives he wanted to make, without caring about business or profit. Perhaps that is why so many of his pieces were so distinctive.