The yanagiba is a knife used to slice boneless fish fillets into sashimi and toppings for other sushi dishes. The slender and long blade is intended to cut slices in a single drawing stroke. It requires minimal pressure to achieve the slice, which avoids stress and cell destruction of the fish. Expert sushi chefs can actually employ different cutting techniques to enhance the aesthetics and flavors of each type of fish.
Hideo Kitaoka crafts his fine blades from his small shop in Takefu Village, where he has honed his skills for the past 30 years. These are completely handmade knives exuding quality, great looks, and soul. Kitaoka-san explains his passion: "There have been many times when I've felt frustrated, but it is fun to make 10 or 20 knives with the same shape, by simply pounding a hammer on a red-hot iron lump. I think that's what the mind of a craftsman is."
This particular yanagiba is constructed using the popular White #1 steel or Shiro-Ko 1. This steel is identical to Blue #1 except for the absence of chromium and tungsten, so it is pretty much a pure carbon steel. Because of this, it takes an extremely fine edge and is a very popular knife steel for Japanese cutlery. It has great edge retention and can be hardened to a high working hardness, in this case 63-64 HRC.
This Kitaoka Damascus Yanagiba has a blade length of 260mm and is the perfect size for most chefs and kitchens. 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: 6.4 oz (182 g)
Edge Length: 260 mm
Total Length: 418 mm
Spine Thickness at Heel: 4 mm
Blade Height: 34 mm
Please note: We only ship Kitaoka knives in the USA
Hideo Kitaoka crafts his fine blades from his small shop in Takefu Village, where he has honed his skills for the past 30 years. These are completely handmade knives exuding quality, great looks, and soul. Kitaoka-san explains his passion: "There have been many times when I've felt frustrated, but it is fun to make 10 or 20 knives with the same shape, by simply pounding a hammer on a red-hot iron lump. I think that's what the mind of a craftsman is."
This particular yanagiba is constructed using the popular White #1 steel or Shiro-Ko 1. This steel is identical to Blue #1 except for the absence of chromium and tungsten, so it is pretty much a pure carbon steel. Because of this, it takes an extremely fine edge and is a very popular knife steel for Japanese cutlery. It has great edge retention and can be hardened to a high working hardness, in this case 63-64 HRC.
This Kitaoka Damascus Yanagiba has a blade length of 260mm and is the perfect size for most chefs and kitchens. 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.
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