CATALOG 2 O O 9 100 Years of Excellence Kai Corporation, the makers of Shun Cutlery, was established in 1908 in Seki City, Japan’s ancient samurai swordmaking capital. The company’s first products, high-quality pocketknives, soon won recognition in the marketplace and enabled Kai to expand its product line to OfYourfine Shun Cutlery pg. 3 include razors, scissors, and kitchen cutlery. Today, Kai is the number one blade maker in Japan. Care &Use Knife Skills One: The tradition of excellence and painstaking craftsmanship Honing is not the same thing as –a legacy of the swordsmiths of ancient Japan– continues to sharpening. Honing gently realigns serve as an inspiration for today’s Kai bladesmiths. This kind the cutting edge, which is of meticulous artisanship, combined with state-of-the-art naturally dulled as you use the technology and advanced materials, ensures that each piece knife. While most fine European of Shun kitchen cutlery is a true work of functional art. knives require honing after each Shun cutlery was brought to the US market in 2002. The use, Shun’s harder steel means you brand was developed specifically to meet the demands of can hone once a week or so, depending the American consumer and to provide an alternative to on your level of use. Sharpening is a more traditional European knives. The Shun cutlery brand has grown from a fledgling into one of the top gourmet brands aggressive operation and reestablishes the knife’s available. With Shun, Kai has established new benchmarks for original edge. Use a whetstone, the Shun electric sharpener, technology and innovation in kitchen knife design. or send them back to us. We’ll be happy to resharpen Shun cutlery provides unparalleled quality and an aesthetic If you use your Shun knife correctly, it can become an are thrown in a drawer, they will get dulled or possibly your knives free of charge. previously unseen in kitchen cutlery. In the tradition of heirloom possession. Using your knife correctly isn’t just chipped, as well as being a potential hazard when you Seki City’s swordsmiths, every knife is made by highly about how to maintain the edge or sharpen the blade; it’s reach into the drawer. skilled artisans and requires at least 100 handcrafted steps about how you use the knife on a daily basis. to complete. This precision handcrafting ensures that each When the time comes to sharpen these premium blades, we Skills knife you purchase will truly be unique to you. One key to keeping a Shun knife sharp is to cut on an recommend using a whetstone, the Shun electric sharpener appropriate cutting surface. These include wood, bamboo, (specially designed to sharpen Shun’s precise blade angle), In Japanese, the word Shun means “best time of the year” and polypropylene, all of which are softer materials and will or sending the knives back to the Kai USA facility in Portland, or as we say here in the USA “as good as it gets.” give under the blade. If the knife can leave a line in the grain, Oregon. We will restore the factory edge to your blade at no it means the surface gives under the sharp blade—and that’s cost to you, aside from the cost of mailing the knife to us. an asset in a cutting board. Please don’t use Shun knives on Just make sure you include a return address and telephone bones or joints. These knives are designed for precision number so we can contact you if necessary. slicing, not for chopping through bones. ONE We recommend that you protect your investment by Store the knife in a block, a knife case, an in-drawer holder, choosing to hand wash your blades with a gentle dish soap a sheath, a magnetic bar, or in its original box. If your knives that contains no bleach or citrus extracts. 1 Knife The Shun Elite line is an innovative combination of beauty and performance. Down to the smallest detail, the elegant design is directly inspired by the aesthetics of samurai swords. From the samurai family crest inlaid in the PakkaWood® handle to the superior blade steel, Shun Elite is built to impress—whether at rest on the kitchen counter or at work in the hand. The cutting core of each blade is SG2 stainless steel. The advantage of this advanced powdered TheBeautyof unmatched performance pg. 5 steel is that each ingredient in the steel is perfectly blended, eliminating weak spots or imperfections. Its density and ideal grain structure Shun Elite enables Shun to temper it to a hardness of 64 on the Rockwell hardness scale—compared with just 56-58 Rockwell for most fine European blades. This amazing metal means Shun can produce an exceedingly sharp and smooth edge that stays sharp several times longer than comparable stainless cutlery. But that’s just the beginning. Next, each blade is clad with two layers of SUS410—one on each side. SUS410 is a “softer” stainless Knife Skills Two: steel that adds strength, flexibility, and corrosion protection. Where The Chef’s Knife is to the serious cook the two steels meet, a natural waved line, called the hamon, is formed—similar to as the paintbrush is to the painter. This go-to knife is ideal the hamon formed when samurai swords are tempered using a special clay-baking Chef’s SG0404 for a wide variety of chopping, slicing, and dicing tasks. technique. The undulating hamon gives each Shun Elite knife a unique The wide blade keeps knuckles off the cutting beauty; no two are board and is extra handy when transferring cut exactly alike. food from board to pan. Skills Paring Mini Utility Honesuki Serrated Gokujo Chef’s Santoku Chef’s KO Chef’s Chef’s Slicing Bread Ultimate Utility SG0400 Chef’s SG0409 SG0408 Utility SG0410 SG0412 SG0403 SG0404 SG0418 SG0405 SG0407 SG0406 SG0413 3-1/2 in. SG0401 6 in. 5-1/2 in. SG0411 6 in. 6 in. 7 in. 8 in. 8 in. 10 in. 9-1/2 in. 9 in. 6 in. TWO (8.9cm) 4-1/2 in. (15.2cm) (14.0cm) 6 in. (15.2cm) (15.2cm) (17.8cm) (20.3cm) (20.3cm) (25.4cm) (22.9cm) (22.9cm) (15.2cm) (11.4cm) (15.2cm) 2 Knife Shun Classics were born of the ancient Japanese samurai swordmaking tradition. Yet this beautiful series not only features classic Japanese blade shapes, but also traditional European styles and innovative cutting-edge designs. In fact, the Classic line offers the widest variety of specialized styles of any Shun series. TraditionMeets innovation pg. 7 Famous for their edge retention and sharpening ease, each Shun Classic knife has an inner core of VG-10 “super-steel” which makes Shun Classic for an exceptionally sharp and smooth blade. Then each blade is clad with 16-layers of stainless Damascus on each side. The resulting pattern is called suminigashi or “ink pattern” after a traditional Japanese paper-decorating technique. While the patterned layers enhance the knife’s beauty, they also add durability and stain Perfect Paring resistance, and reduce friction when cutting. Moisture-resistant DM0753 D-shaped PakkaWood® handles provide comfort and control. 4 in. (10.2cm) Shun Classics are available in left-handed versions in selected shapes (please ask your retailer for details). Skills Knife Skills Three: The paring knife is an essential kitchen tool. For an exceptionally versatile paring knife, try the Shun Classic Perfect Paring Knife. The concave belly curve provides a rounded surface ideal for HG Slicing peeling fruits and vegetables, while the convex belly sweep at the front DM0720 of the blade makes it great for use on a cutting board. The blade’s 9 in. (22.9cm) raised tip makes coring and removing potato eyes a snap, too. Hollow Ground Bird’s Beak Vegetable Paring Paring Utility Serrated Mini Santoku Santoku HG Santoku Sumo Santoku Gokujo Slicing Fork HG Pro Slicing DM0715 DM0714 DM0700 DM0716 DM0701 Utility Santoku DM0727 DM0702 DM0718 DM0717 DM0743 DM0704 DM0709 DM0745 2-1/2 in. 3-1/2 in. 3-1/2 in. 4 in. 6 in. DM0722 DM0732 5-1/2 in. 7 in. 7 in. 7-1/2 in. (19.0cm) 6 in. 9 in. 6-1/2 in. 12 in. THREE (6.4cm) (8.9cm) (8.9cm) (10.2cm) (15.2cm) 6 in. 4 in. (14.0cm) (17.8cm) (17.8cm) Includes Bamboo (15.2cm) (22.9cm) (16.5cm) (30.5cm) (15.2cm) (10.2cm) Hollow Ground Stand Boning/Fillet Hollow Ground 3 Knife From the classic European Chef’s Knife to the innovative, multi-function Perfect Paring Knife and new, partially serrated Ultimate Cook’s Knife, the Shun Classic line offers a wealth of styles, both specialized and traditional. With Shun Classics, you’ll always have the right knife for the job. As with all InnovativeStyles, Shun Classics, each knife features a cutting core of VG-10 steel, clad with classic Japanese 32 layers of SUS410 and SUS431 stainless steel to produce a beautiful, swordmaking traditions pg. 9 Damascus pattern called suminigashi in Japenese. VG-10 steel is very fine-grained steel, which enables Shun to produce blades Shun Classic with extremely sharp, smooth edges that resist abrasion and retain their sharpness for an extended period of time. Each blade is paired with a beautiful handle in the unique Knife Skills Four: Some people call this a sandwich knife. But it’s so much more versatile that Shun calls it the D-shape that fits into the curled fingers of the hand for Ultimate Cook’s Knife.