The Kiritsuke is known as the Master Chef s knife in Japan. This blade can be used for any task on which you would use a regular chef s knife. It can julienne dice or brunoise vegetables with ease and it is the perfect choice for cleaning and cutting boneless meats particularly fish. The straight edge makes this knife ideal for push cuts and slicing. Once you use the Kiritsuke you will find yourself reaching for it more than any other knife. The knives in Shun s beautiful Premier line are crafted much like the hand-forged knives from ancient Japan. Each blade undergoes at least 100 handcrafted steps but unlike the blades of ancient Japan Shun s Premier line features knives made from their VG-MAX super steel. The cutting core of each blade is designed to take and hold a precision edge while the layered Damascus cladding supports the blade and provides stain resistance. Premier blades also have a hammered finish that acts like hollow-ground cavities in order to reduce drag while cutting. The handles rest comfortably in either hand while the end-caps provide balance and beauty.