Ikenami Hamono left-handed Sakana-sabaki 180mm

The sakana-sabaki is a specialist knife for breaking down fish, heavier than a sashimi knife, lighter than a deba. Much lighter than the Ikenami Hamono kataha deba of equivalent length, which is over twice the weight. 

(Mioroshi-deba may be the better known name for this knife style. Sabaku is the Japanese verb for 'divide'. 'Sakana-sabaki' could be roughly translated as 'fish divider'. Mioroshi deba translates to something like 'deba for cutting flesh into portions', so not much difference there.)

Edge retention is excellent. Minimise contact with a good soft wooden board and this knife will remain sharp. Put some thought into this aspect of your purchase - Tanegashima Island's traditional heat treatment results in a very hard steel that is slow to sharpen. Most professional buyers here in Japan would seek out Mr Ikenami for sharpening once a year. Having said that the blade length is manageable if you have the patience, enthusiasm and the whetstones to sharpen it yourself.

Note the left-handed sakana-sabaki is not a stock item at this length and it will be custom forged for you. Forging a single item is disruptive to the production schedule so we've been asked to give the craftsman plenty of time after submitting an order. Something of the order of three months. You'll need to be patient, but the knife will be worth the wait.