Itsuo Doi Blue #2 Yanagi 270mm Ebony

This is one of the finest and rarest yanagibas we offer at CKTG.

Mr. Itsuo Doi is the 65 year old son of Keijiro Doi and worked with his father for close to 50 years before recently taking over the business after Keijiro Doi retired.

The yanagiba, or yanagi, is a knife designed to slice fish for sushi and sashimi. Yanagiba translates into "willow leaf blade." The slender blade is tailored to cut the fish in one single stroke. Its ultra sharp edge slices through the fish with minimal pressure required, thus reducing stress to the flesh and minimizing cellular damage. The yanagiba is such a specialized knife that by using different cutting techniques the chef can enhance and change the visual characteristics and flavors of the fish. There are several styles of fish slicers employed by sushi chefs but the classic yanagi is the most favored. Yanagibas are long knives and usually do not come much shorter than 270mm. This ensures that the slice is made in one single stroke. Sawing is simply not acceptable in the preparation of sushi.

This is the shorter of the three Doi blue yanagibas we have available. It is a perfect size for most kitchens especially where space is an issue. This is still a long knife and you need to be sure of the work area size before considering anything longer. It is hand-fashioned from Blue Paper #2 steel with a ni-mai awase cladding (a single sided layer of iron). Doi-san is recognized as one of the masters of this steel. He hardens the core to approximately 61 Rockwell. The blade is single-beveled and features some beautiful hand chiseled kanji script on the front side. The grind is a lovely single bevel from the shinogi line to the edge. This is a gorgeous knife made better by the addition of a finely finished ebony handle and buffalo horn ferrule.

Knife Brand: Takayuki

Blacksmith: Itsuo Doi

Construction: Hammer Forged

Grind: Traditioinal Single Bevel

Cladding: Soft Iron

Core Edge Steel: Aogami #2 (Blue #2)

HRC: 61-62

Weight: 7.6 ounces

Blade Length: 260 mm (10.25")

Overall Length: 415 mm (16.25")

Thickness at Heel: 4.1 mm

Blade Height: 32.9 mm

Handle: Ebony Octagonal