Shun’s Kanso series is designed based on a Zen philosophy meaning Simplicity. To make this series, Shun eliminated everything that was not essential to creating an excellent knife. According to Shun, the necessities for making a high quality knife are: high-quality steel, a razor-sharp edge, perfect balance, and precision cutting control. Kanso blades are made from a highly refined, high-carbon, vanadium Japanese stainless steel that is capable of taking a razor-sharp edge and holding it longer than other blades. The blades have a Heritage finish designed to hide scratches and give the knife a rustic look that just gets better with age. The handles are made from tagayasan wood and are contoured to fit comfortably in your hand. These knives have a full tang that gives the knives strength and perfect balance. Utility knives fall somewhere between a chef’s knife and a paring knife in both size and use. These knives are ideal for any jobs that require a decent bit of precision but are too big for a paring knife. Features: Multi-purpose, between a chef’s and paring in size Hand-sharpened 16° double-bevel blade (32° comprehensive) Heritage finish hides scratches, gives Kanso a rustic look that just improves with age Steel: AUS10A high-carbon, vanadium stainless steel Handle: Contoured tagayasan wood Blade length: 6 in. (15.3 cm) Handcrafted in Japan