Takahashi Kajiya Yanagiba 180mm

Takahashi Kajiya is located in Izumo, an area in modern-day Shimane Prefecture long associated with steel production in Japan. Behind the Takahashi family home are the remnants of a forge that dates back to the Muromachi period, somewhere around the fifteenth century.

Mr Takahashi values the old ways and he crafts his knives accordingly. His yanagiba sashimi knife is hammered out entirely by hand on his anvil. 

In Japan a double-bevel yanagiba is used in the home for preparing sashimi or neatly slicing rolled sushi. It will lend itself to tasks such as boneless roast carving or creating mirror-finish slices of ham, corned beef and other boneless proteins, with one rearward slice and very little resistance from the blade.

The blade construction of this yanagiba is warikomi, similar to a Japanese sword but reversed. Here the harder steel forms the core, with nantetsu iron being the bread in a white#2 steel sandwich. The convex grind results in a sharp, robust edge that's resistant to chipping. Note that the blade is not rust resistant so normal wiping and drying rules for Japanese knives apply here also. Sharpening is straightforward, lie it flat on the whetstone and go. Everyday home sharpening tools work well.

The Takahashi Kajiya yanagiba is a hand-worked knife so individual examples will vary in finish and very slightly in size.