We are delighted to present one of Sakai Takayuki’s most exquisite offerings, a “Kageuchi-Genbu” water quenched sakimaru-yanagiba! Honyaki knives - honyaki literally translates as “true forged” - require the highest level of skill and care from the blacksmith to make, and cannot be mass produced. Each individual knife must be carefully tended to in every aspect. It is the honyaki process that gives the knife the signature wispy line, called a hamon, which denotes the boundary between the hard steel edge and the soft steel spine. This means great edge retention while keeping ductility in the spine, without the addition and concerns of cladding!

This Kageuchi-Genbu yanagiba is forged from only the finest White #2 steel by master blacksmith Kenji Togashi, sharpened and mirror polished by the renowned Hirotsugu Tosa. This knife comes with a custom-fitted shiroishime saya.

The Japanese-Style Octagonal Ebony Wood handle is adorned with a Pure-Silver Ring and an Artificial White Marble Stone Tsuba (ferrule), symbolizing both high-quality craftsmanship and outstanding durability. The octagonal handle shape provides a comfortable grip during use.

A yanagiba is one of the most traditional knives in Japan, and is almost always single bevel, meant for slicing raw fish in one smooth pull. They can be found in lengths beginning around 180mm and exceeding 400mm! The sakimaru tip, taking inspiration from Feudal Japan’s katana, excels at the precise cuts required of tentacle sashimi.

Please take care to remove the lacquer coating prior to use!

Product Specifications:

Brand: Sakai Takayuki

Location: Sakai, Japan

Knifesmith: Kenji Togashi

Sharpener: Hirotsugu Tosa

Line: Kageuchi-Genbu

Core Steel: White #2

Construction: Honyaki

Finish: mirror polished

Style: sakimaru-yanagiba

Blade Length: 300mm

Overall Length: 445mm

Spine: 4mm

Blade Height: 40mm

Weight: 370g

HRC: ~61

Handle: Ebony, White corian, nickel silver spacers.