When preparing fish for sushi, it is imperative to minimize the damage caused to the cellular structure of the ingredient. The yanagiba is designed solely for the purpose of slicing the thinnest pieces of fish, with a minimum of sticking and tearing. Several important criteria have to be met to satisfy these conditions. The blade needs to be long and thin so that the slice can be made with a single pulling cut. The thinness allows for the cutting to be achieved with very little downforce. The back side of the blade features a very slight concave profile to easily detach the sliced piece from the blade after cutting.
The Kitaoka Damascus Yanagiba featured here has a blade length of just over 205mm, which is perfectly suited for sushi preparation in places with limited space, while still allowing for a single cutting action. Due to the one-sided bevel, this is a knife suited to right-hand users only.
The core steel of Hitachi White Paper #1 is clad with multiple layers of a softer carbon steel, creating a beautiful Damascus pattern, while protecting and strengthening the Higane. Care must be taken to clean and dry this knife during and after use to prevent discoloration or corrosion.
The beautiful blade is made more so by the addition of a traditional octagonal handle made from sandalwood and black pakka wood for the ferrule. A gap between the handle and the machi, known as "Tokyo Style," pays homage to traditional Japanese sword design, where a Tsuba once held its place.
Each knife is made by hand so measurements may vary.Blacksmith: Kitaoka
Location: Echizen, Japan
Construction: Hammer Forged, San Mai
Cladding: Carbon Steel Damascus
Edge Steel: White #1
Grind: One-Sided Traditional, Right-Handed (see choil photo)
Handle: Sandalwood Octagonal
Ferrule: Black Pakka Wood
Engraving: Hand Engraved
Weight: 4.4 oz (124 g)
Edge Length: 206 mm
Total Length: 347 mm
Spine Thickness at Heel: 3 mm
Blade Height: 30 mm
Please note: We only ship Kitaoka knives in the USA
The Kitaoka Damascus Yanagiba featured here has a blade length of just over 205mm, which is perfectly suited for sushi preparation in places with limited space, while still allowing for a single cutting action. Due to the one-sided bevel, this is a knife suited to right-hand users only.
The core steel of Hitachi White Paper #1 is clad with multiple layers of a softer carbon steel, creating a beautiful Damascus pattern, while protecting and strengthening the Higane. Care must be taken to clean and dry this knife during and after use to prevent discoloration or corrosion.
The beautiful blade is made more so by the addition of a traditional octagonal handle made from sandalwood and black pakka wood for the ferrule. A gap between the handle and the machi, known as "Tokyo Style," pays homage to traditional Japanese sword design, where a Tsuba once held its place.
Each knife is made by hand so measurements may vary.
