Shun Kanso Hollow-Ground Santoku Knife

✨ Japanese Precision Meets Everyday Versatility ✨

The Shun Kanso Hollow-Ground Santoku Knife is a Japanese-inspired chef’s knife designed for versatility, balance, and effortless performance. Perfect for slicing, dicing, and chopping a wide variety of ingredients 🍅🥕🍗, the Santoku is beloved by chefs and home cooks alike for its all-purpose design and superior control.

With a slightly shorter, more maneuverable blade than a traditional chef’s knife, this Santoku offers excellent precision while maintaining balance and comfort. The hollow-ground indentations along the blade help reduce friction and minimize food sticking for smoother, cleaner cuts every time. Its heritage finish adds a rustic charm that hides scratches and naturally develops character with use.

Handcrafted in Seki City, Japan, the AUS10A high-carbon stainless steel blade delivers long-lasting sharpness, while the Tagayasan wood handle—also known as “iron sword wood”—provides exceptional strength and an ergonomic grip inspired by the traditional handles of samurai swords ⚔️.

⚙️ Key Features & Highlights

🔹 Multi-Purpose Blade – Ideal for slicing, chopping, and dicing fruits, vegetables, and meats.
🔹 Hollow-Ground Edge – Reduces drag and prevents food from sticking for effortless cutting.
🔹 AUS10A High-Carbon Steel – Provides outstanding edge retention, corrosion resistance, and durability.
🔹 16° Double-Bevel Edge – Ensures clean, precise cuts and excellent control.
🔹 Rustic Heritage Finish – Conceals scratches and enhances the blade’s natural patina over time.
🔹 Tagayasan Wood Handle – Dense, dark “iron sword wood” handle for superior comfort and balance.
🔹 Full-Tang Construction – Ensures stability, strength, and perfect weight distribution.
🔹 Handcrafted in Japan – Made with centuries-old craftsmanship in Seki City.
🔹 Lifetime Warranty – Guaranteed durability and lasting performance.

🌿 Shun Kanso Series – The Beauty of Simplicity

Inspired by the Zen philosophy of “Kanso”—meaning simplicity that refines—the Shun Kanso Series focuses on performance, precision, and balance without unnecessary embellishment.

Each knife is forged from AUS10A vanadium stainless steel, hardened to 60 HRC for exceptional edge retention and strength. The heritage finish gives every blade a distinct, aged beauty while reducing visible wear. The Tagayasan wood handle ensures comfort, control, and timeless elegance.

The Kanso line is designed for those who appreciate minimalist craftsmanship and world-class Japanese performance in every slice.

🏯 About Shun

In Japanese, “Shun” (旬) means “at the peak of perfection.” For over a century, the Kai Corporation in Seki City, Japan —a city famous for samurai sword-making ⚔️—has continued this legacy through Shun cutlery.

Each Shun knife is handcrafted in over 100 meticulous steps, blending traditional forging techniques with modern innovations. The result? Exquisite blades that are both works of art and cutting tools of unmatched precision. 🌸

✅ Hollow-Ground Santoku Knife | 🥢 AUS10A Steel | 🪵 Tagayasan Handle | ⚙️ 16° Double Bevel | 🌿 Heritage Finish | 🏯 Handcrafted in Japan | 🕊️ Lifetime Warranty

Use and Care

Proper Cutting Techniques: Shun Cutlery is designed to be used in a smooth, slicing motion, never in a "chopping" manner. When you cut, always push forward and down, and pull back toward your body to retain your blade's edge. Repeat this motion as you cut. Always pay close attention to your fingers to prevent injury. 

Cleaning: A Shun knife is a fantastic investment for your kitchen, so properly washing your knife is essential. Always hand wash Shun knives with gentle dish soap and a non-abrasive brush. Do not use soaps with citrus extracts or bleach as they can promote rust. Rinse and towel dry immediately after washing. Do no drag the edge of the knife on the towel as it can cut through and cause injury. Always blot dry the cutting edge. 

Proper Knife Storage: Knives have to be stored in a safe place to protect the cutting edge and guarding against injuries. There are some options for storing your knives. Magnetic knife bars are convenient and safe for chefs who want to be able to view their blades and easily access then. They attach to the wall and firmly hold knives in place.  A wooden knife block is the best way to store knives on the counter. The size of the block varies with the number of knives to be store. Most Zwilling J.A. Henckels blocks also have a slot for a honing steel and kitchen shears. 

Cutting Surfaces: The cutting surface you use makes a big difference in keeping your knives sharp. A cutting boards with good quality will help retain a sharp edge for substantially longer. Soft woods such as hinoki, wooden, or bamboo cutting boards, and quality polyethylene boards. Avoid surfaces that can dull or damage the knife such as china, marble, granite, tile, Formica, porcelain, stainless counter tops and glass; these surfaces can be very hard on your knives. Remember, all cutting boards and surfaces should be cleaned thoroughly immediately after use to avoid harmful bacteria growth.

Honing and Sharpening: Regular honing is necessary to maintain the a sharp cutting edge. Weekly honing will significantly extend the time between sharpening. For sharpening, it is recommended to use a whetstone, or send knives in Kai USA Ltd for a free sharpening service. Shun brand products are sold by Kai USA Ltd. and are backed by a Limited Warranty against manufacturing defects. In addition to supporting their products through this warranty, Shun will sharpen any Shun knife for free for the lifetime of the owner. The knife owner pays for shipping and processing and Shun experts will sharpen the knife for free. Sharpening is done in Shun's Tualatin, Oregon facility, using the same horizontal sharpening wheel to put the original edge back on Shun knife. Called a hiromai, this sharpening wheel, and the skills of knife experts ensure a Shun-sharp edge every time.

Warranty

Unless otherwise stated here, Shun cutlery from Kai USA Ltd. carries a limited warranty for the lifetime of the owner. Shun guarantees their cutlery will perform as advertised when properly used and maintained, and is free of manufacturing defects in material and construction. The Limited Lifetime Warranty is non-transferable and does not extend to normal signs of wear, rust, damage or breakage due to improper maintenance, accidents, loss or theft. Any product we determine to be defective will be repaired or replaced solely at Shun's discretion. To receive warranty repair or replacement, the owner must send the product to be evaluated by Kai USA Warranty Services in their Tualatin, Oregon headquarters. In addition to the provisions of this warranty, the owner may also have other rights that can vary by state. No other warranties are implied or expressed other than what is specifically stated here. If you have a warranty concern, please do not return your knife to the place of purchase. 

Wood Accessories 90-Day Warranty

Shun's wood accessories are made of natural materials that will show wear over time. This is not a defect. Shun's 90-Day Warranty protect you against original manufacturing defects, but not natural wear. Please visit Shun's website for warranty details.