Means 3 uses. Slicing, dicing & mincing The Santoku bōchō ("three virtues" or "three uses") is a general-purpose kitchen knife originating in Japan. It has a flat edge and a sheep's foot blade that curves at an angle approaching 60 degrees at the point. The top of the Santoku's handle is in line with the top of the blade designed to work in harmony. The original Japanese Santoku is a well-balanced knife. The knife performs well: slicing, dicing, and mincing. I.O. Shen has overcome the brittleness of hard steel, using a layer of super-hard steel (Rockwell 62°), sandwiched between two layers of softer stainless steel (Rockwell 10°) to produce the ultimate cutting edge. We call this Triplex Steel Technology. I.O.Shen Mastergrade built all knives using the latest technology so that it is not only amazingly sharp but will retain the edge sharpness for a phenomenal amount of time. Handcrafted by our Master attained to 15° angle edge, slicing becomes easy and fun. Each I.O.Shen knife has been carefully handcrafted and took an average of 7 hours hand-finished. Designing a unique handle with “Yin Yang” philosophy distinguishes I.O.Shen from any other knife, improving balance and handling stability, and beautiful work of art handle. The Tai Tang handle is not just an embellishment but it is actually an integral part of the handle frame (the Tang). The handles are made with ebonite which is durable and heat resistant. (no dishwasher cleaning please)
