• Gyuto 230mm SanMai Shirogami #1 Full Tang
  • Gyuto 230mm SanMai Shirogami #1 Full Tang – detail view
  • Gyuto 230mm SanMai Shirogami #1 Full Tang – side profile
  • Gyuto 230mm SanMai Shirogami #1 Full Tang – handle detail
  • Gyuto 230mm SanMai Shirogami #1 Full Tang – blade close-up
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Gyuto 230mm SanMai Shirogami #1 Full Tang

Gyuto 230mm SanMai Shirogami #1 Full Tang

By Simon Maillet

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Simon Maillet

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It’s hard not to love Simon Maillet’s work, minimalist, clean and with a focus on simple yet premium materials, great performance and tidy fit and finish. This blade is one of two full tang knives that Simon recently made for us. The rustic design ticks all the boxes, with a nice weight and balance, a tapered tang and spine, and naturally Simon’s trademark stone ready clean, consistent, flat bevels.

The simple combination of beautiful natural oak and black, durable, carbon fibre is paired with a brushed brute de forge finish above the bevels and lovely clean and hazy Kasumi polish on the bevels. The shimmer of the brushed forge finish is a perfect paring with the lovely blacks and brown hues of the oak handle and matching saya.

Like all of Simon’s work this is a simple, tastefully designed, high performance cutting tool that is a joy to use, stepping aside while you find your happy place in the kitchen.

Product Specification
  • Blade Type:
  • Edge Length: 230mm
  • Spine Heel: 4.04mm
  • Spine Mid: 2.46mm
  • Spine Tip (20mm before): 1.15mm
  • Blade Height: 54.89mm
  • Weight: 225g
  • Cutting Edge Steel:
  • Steel class: Carbon
  • HRC: 64
  • Blade Construction:
  • Blade Finish: Textured, Brushed, Brute de Forge
  • Grind:
  • Handle Construction:
  • Handle Materials: Brown Oak, Carbon Fibre
  • Handedness: Ambidextrous
  • Saya / Storage Included: Yes

Blade type

Gyuto

牛刀

The Japanese take on the Western chef's knife, and the most versatile blade in a modern kitchen. A gyuto carries a long, gently curved edge — most often 210 to 270 mm — that allows both push cuts and a rocking motion, with a pointed tip for fine work and enough height at the heel to keep knuckles clear of the board. It handles proteins, vegetables, and herbs without complaint, which is why most cooks reach for it first.

Compared with a European chef's knife, the gyuto is usually thinner, harder, and lighter, ground to a finer edge that rewards good board technique and regular honing. That same thinness is the trade-off: the edge is less forgiving of bone, frozen food, and twisting cuts, and it asks for a little more care in maintenance in exchange for its keenness.

View full knife type guide →

Cutting edge steel

Shirogami #1

Ultra-pure plain carbon steel

Typical HRC
64–67
Corrosion class
Carbon
Production
Conventional
Origin
Japan (Hitachi YSS / Proterial)

Shirogami #1 — White Paper #1 — is the highest-carbon, highest-purity entry in Hitachi's white-paper family, with approximately 1.30 to 1.40 percent carbon and impurities (P, S, Mn, Si) held to extremely low levels. Without chromium, tungsten, or vanadium, it is the closest thing the modern industrial world has to a continuation of the traditional Japanese tamahagane lineage in commercial form.

In a finished kitchen knife it can run at 64–66 HRC, sharpens to an extraordinary apex on natural and fine synthetic stones, and gives a feel at the cutting board that aficionados describe as glassy. Edge retention is modest — the absence of carbide-forming alloys means the steel is wear-limited — and toughness at this hardness is genuinely low; a thin Shirogami #1 edge will chip on bone or on a poor cutting board. The patina is energetic.

It is the steel of choice for honyaki and high-end clad single-bevels, and it remains the touchstone against which other ultra-clean carbons like 125SC and C130 are judged. Among the makers Modern Cooking carries, Hado Knives and Simon Maillet work in Shirogami #1. Recommend it only to a cook who understands what it is asking of them.

View full steel guide →

Blade construction

Laminated Steel

A category covering knives built from multiple layers of different steels forge-welded together. The hard cutting steel is sandwiched between softer outer layers (cladding) that protect the core, add toughness, and often contribute visual contrast.

The most common laminated constructions in the Modern Cooking catalogue are:

SanMai (三枚) — three layers: hard cutting steel in the centre, softer cladding on both sides. The traditional and most common form.

GoMai (五枚) — five layers: a hard core, two intermediate layers, and two outer layers. Adds visual depth and structural complexity.

KuMai (九枚) — nine layers: similar logic, with more cladding layers for additional pattern and structural variation.

GoMai and KuMai are often chosen not only for the additional layers and visual depth, but also because the intermediate layers can act as a nickel diffusion barrier — limiting carbon migration out of the core into the cladding during forge welding, and protecting the core's intended carbon content through the heat of the forging process.

In all cases the cutting performance is determined by the core steel; the outer layers are cosmetic and structural. The lamination contributes corrosion protection (when a stainless jacket clads a carbon core), reduced reactivity, and the visible boundary between core and cladding that gives the knife its character.

View full construction guide →

Grind

Flat

A grind in which the blade tapers in a straight line from the spine down toward the edge, with no curve or hollow in the bevel. The flat grind is the most common geometry on modern double-bevel kitchen knives because it balances cutting performance and durability: thin enough behind the edge to slice well, with enough steel behind it to stay strong.

A true full flat grind, running from spine to edge, is keen but can wedge in dense produce as the food meets the widening blade; many kitchen knives use a partial flat grind that begins lower on the blade to manage that. The flat grind's appeal is its predictability — it sharpens straightforwardly, behaves consistently, and asks nothing unusual of the user.

View full grind guide →

Handle construction

Full Tang

A construction in which the blade steel runs the full length and width of the handle, forming a flat core between two handle scales. The scales are fixed to either face of the tang with pins, rivets, or adhesive, and the tang's outline stays visible as a strip of steel around the top, bottom, and butt of the handle — often with the pin heads showing as a row down each side. It is the dominant construction in Western kitchen and outdoor knives.

Because the steel continues all the way to the butt, the handle is essentially the tang dressed in two scales, and the grip is ground and shaped from that sandwiched assembly as a whole. The extra steel carries weight and balance back toward the hand, giving the solid, blade-and-handle-as-one feel that defines the style, and it leaves the edge of the tang on show as part of the knife's line.

View full construction guide →

Shipping & Returns

Shipping

We process orders 5 days a week (Monday - Friday) and ship from our shop in Sydney, Australia. We ship with FedEx, UPS and DHL.

We are happy to offer free international shipping on a variety of orders depending on location and order value.

Free Shipping Regions and Minimum Order Values

For Australia and New Zealand the minimum is $500AUD. For the rest of the world it is approximately €1000EUR. The discount is applied automatically when you reach the minimum cart value at checkout.

Returns

If you're not entirely happy with your purchase, you can return it within 14 days of delivery for a refund. The item must be in its original condition with all original packaging.

  • Returns are accepted for 14 days
  • The customer is responsible for return shipping costs
  • A 15% restocking fee may be applied to change-of-mind returns
  • We do not accept returns on second-hand items for change of mind

Faulty or Damaged Items

You must notify us within 5 business days of receiving your order. Photographic evidence of damage is required. Once approved, Modern Cooking will cover return shipping costs.

Product Care

Cleaning: Clean by hand with warm water. Avoid wetting the handle when possible.

Sharpening: We advise using whetstones to sharpen your knives and a honing rod or steel to maintain the burr between sharpening sessions.

Reactive Steels: Reactive steels like Aogami Super, Apex Ultra or premium reactive German and Swedish steels are susceptible to rust if not properly cared for. Keep the knife dry between uses and when storing for longer periods, wiping the blade with Tsubaki oil or another food-safe oil is a wise choice. A patina can be a beautiful personal feature on your knife and helps to stop rust forming.

Handle Care: For non-stabilised wooden handles, apply Tsubaki oil or another food-safe oil from time to time. Food-safe wax can be applied to both stabilised and non-stabilised wooden handles. Never apply hot wax or oil as you risk warping or damaging the handle.

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