The Kanso 6-piece block features five key pieces of kitchen cutlery, plus a beautiful block with a finish to match the Kanso handle. You get the Kanso 8-inch Chef’s Knife, 5.5-inch Hollow-Ground Santoku, 6-inch Utility Knife, 3.5-inch Paring Knife, and the Kanso Combination Honing Steel. They all fit in the solid wood block—with room to expand. There are two additional slots, plus one to accommodate a handy pair of kitchen shears.
The Shun Kanso 6-piece Block Set is part of the Shun Kanso series. Kanso is a design principle based on Zen philosophy. It means “simplicity,” but simplicity that is achieved by eliminating the non-essential. In Kanso, we took away anything that doesn’t matter and kept everything that does: high-performance steel, razor-sharp edge, perfect balance, and precision cutting control. The steel is Japanese AUS10A—highly refined, high-carbon, vanadium stainless steel that takes a razor-sharp edge and holds it longer. Kanso’s Heritage finish hides scratches and gives Kanso a rustic look that just improves with age. The handle is made of a wood called tagayasan or wenge, which is sometimes known in Japan as “iron sword wood.” The handle contouring enables an easy chef’s grip. Full-tang construction provides strength, balance, and easy cutting control. Like all Shun knives, Kanso is sharpened to a 16° cutting angle each side to cut cleanly and help preserve food’s freshness and best taste.