Tokyo Sugimoto Chinese Cleaver No. 3 Vintage

Tokyo Sugimoto, Chinese Cleaver No. 3

- Type: Chinese Cleaver
- Blade Material: Pure Japanese Steel
- Handle Material: Wood

This is a trusted Sugimoto Chinese Cleaver No. 3.
This knife was purchased by my grandfather between the opening of his Chinese restaurant in 1959 and its closure in 1984.
The exact purchase date is unknown, but it is believed to be from the 1960s.

Even if purchased in 1970, it would have been aged for 55 years.
As many of you may know, steel materials such as blades inevitably generate heat during manufacturing.
This heat disrupts the molecular structure of the steel.
A disrupted structure leads to poor blade formation, sharpness, and edge retention. (Please research this further online, etc.)
Reputable blade manufacturers always age their blades for several years after production before shipping.

Steel materials, including blades, become more uniformly stable in their molecular structure the longer they are aged after manufacturing.
This is a rare vintage Chinese cleaver that was recently discovered.
We highly recommend it to those seeking sharpness and high stability.

There are no major rust spots or scratches.
In the last image, there is a faint spot of rust on the spine, slightly below the Kanji Sugimoto engraving.
It is not deep and can be removed by polishing.

The faint spots that appear on the surface are rust-preventative oil; they can be washed off before use.

Includes the original instruction manual from the time.

Current models have two grooves cut into the wooden part of the grip, but this vintage item does not.
The instruction manual from the time also does not show these grooves.

This is an authentic item from that era.

Thank you.