Moriya Munemitsu YHC Kataha Deba 165mm

The three key elements to producing a fine traditional Japanese knife don't change.

First is what Moriya Munemitsu Hamono describes as yoi sozai o shiyō suru koto: the use of quality materials, meaning steel with absolutely minimal impurities. The second is saitekina netsushori o suru koto: optimal heat treatment - hardening, annealing and tempering - without which quality materials won't mean much. Thirdly, seizō kakō, ha-tsuke: the process of manufacture and sharpening, that of creating a well-balanced knife with the cutting weight and sharpness professional users expect.

Moriya Munemitsu YHC prides itself on fulfilling these three requirements to the letter. It should come as no surprise; this is the Yasugi Specialty Steels subsidiary that produces and markets these professional-grade knives across Japan.

Parent company YSS produces the high-grade aogami#2 alloy steel. Moriya Munemitsu's optimal heat treatment of this 'in-house' steel results in a blade with high hardness and resistance to chipping. Ha-tsuke - let's call it edge sculpting - in turn delivers an outstanding cutting tool. Asked the essence of their success in a competitive market, Moriya Munemitsu tells us that it derives from many years of research and experience, and deep consideration of the requirements of their users.

Moriya Munemitsu's single-bevel deba-bocho are hand-forged in the traditional measurement of 'sun'. This is their 5.5-sun deba, measuring 185mm in total blade length from the handle and a fraction over 165mm along the cutting edge heel-to-tip. This is a hand-forged item so expect measurements to vary slightly from knife to knife.