S-25 Santoku
- Tadafusa
- Model no.: S-25
- Blade Steel: Aogami #2 (blue paper steel) with stainless cladding and polished finish
- Blade Length: 165mm
- Handle: Oval chestnut
The aogami version of the Tadafusa S-25 makes use of blue paper steel with a stainless cladding, to offer an authentic Japanese-style knife. Aogami is a premium carbon steel with added tungsten (for edge retention) and chromium (for rust protection). It is finished with a stainless outer layer to offer a stainless blade with a carbon steel core that holds a very good edge.
The S-25 is a Santoku knife, which means 'three virtues' - originally valour, wisdom and benevolence - but in the case of the Santoku knife refers to the three tasks it does best: slicing, dicing, and mincing. It is essentially a Japanese general chef's knife, compared to the Gyuto, which is the Japanese interpretation of the Western-style chef's knife. The blade of this knife has a beautiful polished finish and the handle is chestnut wood, which gives it a distinct texture that assists with grip.
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Sanjo in Niigata Prefecture is a well known hub in Japan of blacksmith factories and hardware manufacturing businesses. Its blacksmith tradition goes back to 1635.
The founder of Tadafusa - Torasaburo Sone - started Tadafusa in 1948 and, by using the techniques of the region, began making sickles, short swords, kitchen knives and hand-forged metal scales. Over time, Tadafusa became renowned for especially fishing knives, kitchen knives and soba knives.
Now in its third generation under the leadership of Tadayuki Sone, Tadafusa has introduced many contemporary elements to its knife ranges, including partnering with industrial designers like Fumie Shibata for its Hocho Kobo range and Yusuke Seki for its knife showroom. As a result, Tadafusa has won a number of Good-Design Awards and in the words of the company "have been continuing taking great effort to create the hand-forged knives that customers really desire for with the demands of the present age."
Tadafusa knives are ideal for serious home cooks as well as professional chefs and come in different blade types and wooden handle finishes. They have pioneered a process of carbonising wood handles to improve the antibacterial properties.