Beautiful Rosewood handle, traditional Japanese Gyuto...a joy to use. Able to sharpen it to a 10 degree edge AND have it hold it's edge remarkably well.
And I learned how much I trust my sharpening abilities. I took it out of the box, played with it and decided it needed a better edge and put one on it. I had a moment of hesitation (my edge over factory edge...should I do it with a knife from a knife maker of this caliber) but only a moment. They ship knives like that to offer a combination of longevity of the original edge plus performance for those who don't sharpen. Learning to sharpen knives is a must for any serious cook...it is really not that hard to do...