Ginsan-ko Honyaki

Sakai Akazawa’s Ginsan-Ko Honyaki line sports a blade steel crafted out of Silver Steel No. 3, a popular stainless steel with favorable wear, stain and rust resistant properties that is easy to maintain and care for. The HRC of the blade steel in this line is 61, making it harder than average, and therefore difficult to sharpen but giving it extra edge retention capability. Additionally, the blade steel in this series is of a “Honyaki” variety. A “Honyaki” blade steel is crafted solely out of high-carbon steel and isn’t bonded with soft iron. “Honyaki” knives require a highly-skilled blacksmith with advanced forging and tempering knowledge to craft correctly and are therefore considered high-quality, luxury knives. The knives in this series require an individual with good sharpening skill and who knows how to use a whetstone in order to maintain them because their hardness makes them prone to chipping. Every knife in this line comes equipped with a traditional, octagonal hardwood handle.

Recommendation: Sakai Akazawa’s Ginsan-Ko Honyaki line is best for chefs and intermediate-level cooks with good sharpening skills. Even though Silver Steel No. 3 is a stainless steel it is of that variety that is harder than many other stainless steels, so good sharpening ability is required in order to maintain its blade steel. Additionally, knives that use Silver Steel No. 3 for their blade steel are wear-, stain- and rust-resistant, making knife maintenance to the exclusion of sharpening a breeze.