Moriya Munemitsu Kuchigane Yanagiba 210mm Gingami #3 Stainless Steel

Moriya Munemitsu YHC is a subsidiary of Hitachi Materials Magic, which puts it in very fine company indeed. Closely related companies include Yasugi Specialty Steels ('YSS'), producers of the cutlery-grade stainless steel from which this yanagiba is produced. In fact, they share premises.

In the humid Japanese climate a stainless steel blade can make sense for a sparingly-used sashimi knife. In an overseas setting but we can easily imagine this yanagiba could see more action than just family-gathering sashimi-slicing. It's not a carving knife as such but it will serve in a pinch, and it would be very useful for the meditative preparation of beautifully-presented slices of soft corned beef, ham and other cold meats, konyaku (if you can get your hands on it), maki-zushi, cucumber, daikon... the list goes on. And sashimi, of course.

In terms of cutting performance this is a stainless steel that provides a level of sharpness comparable to carbon steel, and in an easy-care package. The formed handle is goban, a durable material of compressed wood fibre and resin that will retain its beauty and integrity for many years. This 'kuchigane' variant with its integrated steel bolster makes this yanagiba suitable for commercial work where tool sterilisation is mandated. Full-tang construction lends strength and balance. High standards of fit and finish complete the package.