Deba knives are one of the three most popular traditional knife shapes in Japan. The
deba is mainly used for cleaning and filleting fish and dressing poultry and other meats. The heaviness of the very wide spine lends stability and extra heft that is needed to cut through tough joints and bones with ease. The thick spine of the blade gradually becomes thinner towards the tip allowing for a great amount of control in manipulating the blade when filleting fish and guiding it along bones.
The Kitaoka 165mm Deba is made from Blue #2 Hitachi steel. This is a very popular alloy for kitchen knives. It is the same as White #2 but with added chromium and tungsten. These elements endow the alloy with better corrosion resistance and edge retention. Remember, though, that this is a carbon steel and must be carefully cleaned and dried after use.
Aogami Blue #2 outperforms Shirogami (White Steel) in a couple of ways. Notably, it features better edge retention and an ability to take a more acute edge geometry. Kitaoka-san tempers his Blue Steel to an HRC of 62-63 which we think is a sweet spot for this alloy.
This beautifully finished, strong blade is fitted with an upgraded rosewood octagonal handle with black pakka wood ferrule.
This single-bevel knife is made specifically for left-handed users.
Blacksmith: Kitaoka San
Location: Echizen, Japan
Construction: Hammer Forged, Left Handed Grind
Handle: Rosewood Octagonal
Weight: 10.5 oz (296 g)
Edge Length: 170 mm
Total Length: 308 mm
Spine Thickness at Base: 6.8 mm
Blade Height at Base: 50.5 mm
Please note the video has the old handle. The new one is correctly pictured above.
We are only shipping Kitaoka knives in the USA