Moriya Munemitsu YHC Kataha Yanagiba 210mm

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 minimum 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 needs and wants of their users. 

Moriya Munemitsu's single-bevel yanagibas are hand-forged in the traditional measurement of 'sun'. This is their 7-sun sashimi-bocho, measuring 220mm in total blade length from the handle, 210mm along the cutting edge heel-to-tip.* This is a hand-forged item so expect measurements to vary slightly from knife to knife.

* Japanese knife makers might state the length of a yanagiba using the longer or the shorter measure depending on tradition in their part of Japan. Moriya Munemitsu YHC uses the longer.