Jikko Blue #2 Honyaki Yanagiba 300mm

While Jikko knives are a fairly recent addition to our lineup of kitchen cutlery, the company traces its roots back over a century to the city of Sakai, located in the Osaka Prefecture. Sakai is known as one of the hotbeds of Japanese knife making. Jikko is one of the longest operating companies in the Sakai region and is considered to be one of the top knife manufacturers in Japan.

One of the most ancient methods of blade making is honyaki, which translates to “true forged” in English. Honyaki knives are the most difficult blades to make. Because of this, the failure rate is extremely high and only the very best blacksmiths are capable of making these truly remarkable knives. The blade is ground to perfection by one of the top sharpeners in Sakai City and then polished to a mirror finish.

Yanagiba knives are one of the three basic knife styles employed in Japanese professional kitchens, together with the deba and the usuba. The slender, long blade of a yanagiba is intended to cut slices of fish in a single drawing stroke. It should require a minimal amount of pressure to achieve the slice, which therefore avoids cell destruction to the fish. Expert sushi chefs can actually employ different cutting techniques to enhance the aesthetics and flavors of each type of fish, but it takes a knife of this caliber to achieve these goals.

The slender blade is perfectly matched and balanced to a beautifully finished octagonal handle made from ebony and black buffalo horn.

Maker: Jikko

Location: Sakai, Japan

Blacksmith: Undisclosed

Sharpener: Jikko San

Construction: Hammer Forged

Style: Honyaki

Steel: Blue #2

Quenching: Water Quenched

Finish: Mirror Finish

Engraving: Hand Engraved

Type: Yanagiba

Handle: Ebony Octagonal

Ferrule: Black Buffalo Horn

Edge Length: 290mm

Weight: 8.3oz

Height: 35mm