Sakai White #2 Yanagiba 270mm

Yanagi-ba bōchō literally means willow blade knife. Yanagi-ba or Yanagi is a long and very thin knife used in the Japanese kitchen, belonging to the group of Sashimi hōchō to prepare sashimi, sushi, sliced raw fish and seafood. In Japan, preparing sashimi and sushi is a task only undertaken by the most skilled and experienced chefs who follow methods and practices intended to minimize damage to the delicate flesh of the fish. There are very important conditions that the sliced cross section be smooth, shiny and sharp in a microscopic view. Those conditions cannot be met by other knives. Yanagi knives are especially designed to satisfy this very strict requirement.

The Sakai Yanagiba blade is angled from one side only, with the other side of the blade being almost flat (slight concave profile). This allows for great control of the blade angle needed in the delicate cutting of the fish. It also allows for ease of sharpening. These knives are for right-handed users as the blade is ground only on the right side (front face).

We have these lovely Yanagibas made out of a core Shirogami White #2 steel covered with soft iron laminate. The Shirogami is heat treated to 61 Rockwell. The steel is reactive so must be kept perfectly clean and dry between uses. The fit and finish are of a very high standard which together with the lovely look of the blade and handle result in a high quality, classic Yanagiba at a very competitive price. They come with a lovely ho wood custom saya.

Weight: 6 ounces

Blade Length: 264 mm

Overall Length: 415 mm

Thickness at Heel: 3.7 mm

Blade Height: 32.5 mm