One of the great craftsmanship challenges of bladesmithing is the making and working of a knife blade from Damascus steel. One who accepts this challenge gladly and with enthusiasm is the blacksmith Uli Hennicke, founder of Hohenmoorer Messermanufaktur in Asendorf, Lower Saxony. With the force of his forge hammer, he joins a proud 240 layers of damascus steel into one piece, creating a bond that is as unbreakable as it is artistic. In this way, the blacksmith brings the blade of this Japanese-style chef's knife to life layer by layer. Many, many hammer blows later, the blade is carefully ground by hand and finally etched to bring out even more clearly the pattern typical of Damascus steel, which, by the way, is slightly different and thus unique with each new knife.

For the handle of this santoku knife, the creators at Hohenmoorer Messermanufaktur use bog oak wood that is over 2,000 years old, which is treated several times with hard oil to protect the surface - as well as to emphasize its distinctive grain. A brass head plate fixes the tang, which is completely concealed in the handle of the knife. With the crowned edge of the blade, it is the perfect utility knife for cutting vegetables, herbs, meat and fish. For what in Western cuisine is the chef's knife, in the Japanese kitchen tradition is the Santoku.