Artisan is a thing of beauty! The first attraction for me is the "hammered" blade; it's such a unque finish but it's also going to help keep food from sticking to the blade. The SG2 steel is very hard which guarantees it will have amazing edge retention. It also boasts that crazy sharp Asian edge angle.

The rosewood handle has a nice round curve which fits very comfortably in your hand.

A prep knife is such a great blade.  It can handle those tasks that are too big for a parer but using a chef knife would just be overkill.  

If you are wanting an authentic Japanese knife, end your search with Miyabi. They are made and sold in Japan as the premium knife.