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The Souryurin series features a VG-10W core, clad in stainless hammered Damascus steel. VG10W adds tungsten to VG10 for increased edge retention. A long time ago, when I was still cooking professionally, I used knives from Ryusen. Ryusen used to be one of the most popular OEM makers in Japan, as they had an excellent reputation for the knives they produced. More recently, they have stopped all OEM work to focus on their own brand. With this shift in philosophy, they have redoubled efforts to constantly make improvements to their various series (profiles, grinds, fit and finish, forging, heat treating, etc.). This is extremely apparent in their most recent offerings. They have done an excellent job at both researching on their own, as well as eliciting in-depth feedback from professional chefs and customers. Their business philosophy is such that they are open to new and better ways of doing things at every step of the way. When visiting Echizen on one of our Japan trips, we met with Ryusen Hamono, the maker of Blazen knives. Their commitment to excellence in grind quality, fit and finish, and consistency in each line they made was most impressive. Likewise, it was clear they took great care and pride in each step of the knife-making process, which they do entirely in-house. From the forging to the heat treating to the product design and packaging, they had smart, well-thought-out processes in place.
The Souryurin series is relatively thin (not quite a laser, but close), with a medium/lightweight. While they aren’t super lightweight in hand, they aren’t heavy, and despite is western handle appearance, the in-hand feel (along with the weight and balance) is much more similar to that of a Japanese-style handle. The hammered damascus finish is beautifully done, with a very high polish and exceptional fit and finish. Though it is primarily aesthetic, the hammered texture does help in food release. The blade profile, choil shape, and handle design mirror that of similar series they make, focusing on comfort in hand. The choil shape sweeps away from the handle and the spine and choil are very nicely rounded and polished. The blue resin handle has the appearance of dragon scales just under the surface, drawing upon the imagery of Seiryu- the legendary blue dragon. The tapered shape of the handle makes the pinch grip extremely comfortable. No detail has gone unnoticed. The VG10W core is exceptionally well heat treated, as they use molten salt baths in the process, which we agree is an excellent way to go about heat treating this steel. This series also comes with a black wood saya.
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Knife Type: Santoku
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Steel Type: VG10W Stainless
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Handle Type: Polyurethane Resin
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Construction Type: Stainless Clad
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Hand Orientation: Ambidextrous
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Handle Length: 133mm
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Handle Height: 27mm
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Handle Width: 20mm
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Handle to Tip Length: 184mm
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Heel to Tip Length: 172mm
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Width of Spine at Middle: 2.08mm
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Width of Spine 1cm from the Tip: 0.64mm
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Width of Spine at Handle: 2.51mm
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Width of Spine above Heel: 2.05mm
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Blade Thickness 1/2 way between the Spine and Edge: 1.92mm
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Blade Height at Heel: 47mm
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Weight: 195g
