30 DAYS OPEN PURCHASEThere is one task in Japanese cooking that is never handed over to the large knife: the fine work close to the hand, where control matters more than force. A petty knife in the right steel for that job is not a compromise. It is a specialist tool.
The Senzo Retro Petty is made by Suncraft in Seki, Japan, a family-owned knife manufacturer established in 1948 in a city with seven hundred years of blade-making tradition. The blade has a three-layer construction with Ginsan as the core steel, a semi-stainless steel that behaves much like carbon steel but tolerates moisture far better. It allows for a thinner, sharper bevel and edge retention that ordinary stainless steels struggle to match. Hardness: 59–61 HRC.
The finish is nashiji, Japanese for pear skin, a textured matte surface that reduces friction and gives the knife a look reminiscent of how Japanese knives appeared decades ago. The handle is made from wenge, one of the hardest and densest woods in the world, with naturally dark grain and an octagonal shape that gives the hand a secure, precise grip.
Blade length: 120 mm. Construction: San Mai. Grind: double bevel 50/50. Made in Japan.
