Hand-Forged Flat-Blade Paring Knife – Master Shin’s Anvil

Flat-Blade Paring Knife by Master Shin’s Anvil: Big enough to chop a clove of garlic, small enough to peel a pear in your hand: the paring knife that also does a cutting board’s work.

Forged by hand in Anseong, South Korea, and shipped new from our US stock partner.

The Design Story

Nothing about this large paring knife is styled; it is shaped. Master Shin In-Young apprenticed at 13, became a master at 17 and works in the Anseong forge founded in 1845, known as South Korea’s oldest; his ironwork has gone into restoring Seoul’s Sungnyemun gate. The workshop has used recycled railroad rail for over a century and quenches with water only. The steel band where blade meets wood, the daenggi, is shaped as an ornament in its own right.

Why You’ll Love It

The forge marks stay on the steel and the pale wood handle carries nothing but the workshop’s burned-in X, so it looks exactly like what it is. The blade is water-quenched to a hardness of about 57–62, a level the maker chose for a balance of strength and flexibility rather than chasing the hardest possible edge. And every year of use adds to the patina.

Made for Real Life

Treat it like a cast-iron pan: rinse, dry right away, a drop of oil now and then, and never the dishwasher. Over time the steel darkens into a patina that is unique to your kitchen. A whetstone every couple of years keeps the edge, and a baking-soda paste lifts any rust spot.

Product Details

Where It Shines

On a wall-mounted magnetic rail or an end-grain board, where people can see it, and in the hands of the person who cooks most in your home. Pair it with: heavy chef's knife, all-purpose kitchen knife, small kitchen knife, straight-edge vegetable knife.

Questions We Hear Most

Who forges the Master Shin Paring Knife (#59)?

Master Shin In-Young, in his workshop in Anseong, South Korea. The workshop, founded in 1845, is known as the country’s oldest blacksmith shop, and in 2016 Master Shin was designated Gyeonggi Province Intangible Cultural Heritage No. 60.

What size is the Master Shin Paring Knife (#59)?

9.25 in overall; blade 4.5 in × 1.3 in; handle 4.75 in.

Will the Master Shin Paring Knife (#59) change color over time?

Yes, and that is part of the appeal. Carbon steel builds a dark patina with use; one of the gallery photos shows how it looks after years of use.

Does the Master Shin Paring Knife (#59) need special treatment?

Only a little: hand wash, dry, the occasional drop of oil, and a whetstone every few years.

Is the Master Shin Paring Knife (#59) a good gift?

For anyone who cooks, yes: it is a working tool made by one master blacksmith and meant to last for decades with simple care.

How quickly does the Master Shin Paring Knife (#59) go out?

Usually within 2–3 business days of your order.

Why We Love It

In a world of stamped stainless steel, this is one person’s work, made the way it has been made in Anseong for generations.

Shipping Info