Yukihiro Sakai is a young blacksmith trained under Nishida-san of Nishida Knives. With his expertise in working with one of the purest forms of fine-grain high-carbon steels (White Steel #1), he has crafted his own handmade knives.

Very few blacksmiths create their own crafting materials, but Yukihiro-san does. He puts in laborious work because he believes it makes a difference in the end product. He understands the importance of proper technique to limit carbon migration from the core steel to the iron cladding. These are the same principles that have made Takeda and Moritaka Hamono famous.

Yukihiro Sakai uses White (Shirogami) Steel #1 for his kitchen knives. While White #1 is highly reactive, it is unmatched for its sharpness.

These knives are hefty, forward heavy, and definitely a workhorse grind.

Why not is the type of answer you'll often get when asking a Japanese person why something is done in a certain way. So we say, why not a 240mm nakiri! A nakiri will quickly become your go-to vegetable prep knife. The flat surface along the length of the cutting edge means you can say goodbye to accordion cuts. At this length, you can easily rock chop too. Just anchor down that tip, 240mm away from the butt, and rock away.

Steel Type: Shirogami #1 Carbon Steel

Knife Type: Nakiri

Steel Grade: Shirogami #1

Hardness (Rockwell HRC): 62

Blade Height: 56 mm

Blade Finish: Kurouchi

Origin of Steel: Japan

Blade Length: 240 mm

Total Length: 380 mm

Blade Thickness (heel): 3 mm

Blade Thickness (center): 2 mm

Blade Thickness (1 cm from tip): 1 mm