Black Style

Sakai Akazawa’s Black Style line is comprised of “wa-knives”—those knives whose blade design originated in Western countries but that is equipped with a traditional, Eastern handle that is embedded with a buffalo horn bolster. The blade steels in this series vary from White Steel (WS) and Super Blue Steel (SBS). Both steels are high-carbon steels, and every blade steel has its high-carbon steel “sandwiched” in between two layers of stainless steel, thereby keeping the high-carbon steel in the blade from rusting and making the knives in this line of a “stainless” variety.

Disclaimer: The edge of the blades in this line are prone to rusting because they are not “sandwiched” in between two layers of stainless-steel and are instead crafted solely from Super Blue Steel. They were purposefully made this way in order to improve the edge sharpness of the knives.

Recommendation: The knives in this series are recommended for all line-cooks and chefs of all levels because they are easy to care for and are a very practical tool in a professional kitchen. Nonetheless, we recommend that those who purchase these knives enjoy working with Eastern handles as opposed to Western handles and have good sharpening skills.