The blade's random pattern carbon damascus steel, hand forged in-house by Jackson Rumble and etched and polished for striking contrast, is every bit as beautiful as the blade's functional properties are impressive. Jackson specializes in mid-size, Japanese-style gyutos made for daily use, and this 210mm / 8.3" build at 6.5oz / 184g fits the bill. Quite thin, hard, and sharp at the edge, the tall bevels enjoy superb convex geometry, with the blade's rounded spine tapering steadily from the handle outward so as to provide a subtle touch of flexibility in the final inches, and a slim, needle-like tip for precision slices and detail work. Dressed in gorgeous bocote wood with nickel silver spacer in simple and classic octagonal form, this knife is the functional art we look for.