Ikegawa Mokuzai Hinoki Cutting Board

Very nice

I really like this cutting board. It is easy on my knives, easy to clean, and has a pleasant smell to it. I did buy some silicon feet for the back to prevent sliding while using it.

Exactly what I wanted

A well-meaning family member bought me some bamboo cutting boards which quickly wreaked havoc on my Shun knives. I knew I needed a proper, soft-wood cutting board. It's a little different as harder boards do make knifework feel more responsive but are not goof for your knife edges, but like most things in the chef knife world, it'll just take some getting used to. As another reviewer noted, if your knife is sharp, it will cut into the board a bit more which is something you'll need to get used to, but it's well worth it if you want to take care of your knives. As far as fit and finish goes, it's absolutely stunning to look at, feel, and smell. 100% worth the price, and now I need more chopping boards!

Smells great, slim and light!

I will let my wife use the FSR cutting board while I enjoy the hinoki cutting board. Giving it a nice rinse before using makes it smell great and absorb less of whatever you are cutting on top of it. Just need to make sure nobody "helps" me out by wshing the board and laying it flat or on it's side to "dry" as that was how my last hinoki board started getting wood rot from having the edges and bottomw side sitting in the pooling water overnight to "dry." They are wonderful boards that will last a LONG time if you understand how to handle wooden cutting boards for long-time use.