Yanagiba knife, Shirogami 2 steel, kasumi finish - Masamoto

This is the KK series from Masamoto. If you are serious about your sushi and sashimi, you are going to need one of these and, as handmade single bevel knives go, this is a great starting point. 

SHAPE: Yanagiba. This knife is used to slice protein in one continuous movement to minimize damage to the ingredient. This shape features the traditional single bevelled edge so is only suitable for right handed users. This edge design allows the blade to take a razor sharp edge helping with the slicing of fish thinly. 

STEEL: Shirogami (white) 2 steel. It is a reactive carbon steel which is easy to sharpen and holds an edge well. This steel is often chosen for traditional-style Japanese knives. This knife has been clad with iron so special care needs to be taken to prevent rusting.

FINISH: Traditional Kasumi polished finish. Kasumi roughly translated to “mist” or “cloud” and refers to the hazy appearance of the soft steel/iron cladding, in contrast to the fine polished cutting edge. This elegant finish is very common on traditional style Japanese blades.

HANDLE: D-shaped magnolia handle with buffalo horn ferrule.

LENGTH: 300, 270, 240 and 210mm blade length.

MAKER: Masamoto. The leading single bevel knifemaker in Japan and found in the knife roll of every decent Japanese sushi chef in Japan. 

BEST FOR: Aspiring and actual sushi chefs.

SAUNDERS SAYS: “These are the entry level of the handmade stuff. They have been hand-forged but not hand-sharpened.”

These knives are hand-forged so there may be slight variations in measurements and finishes.

Traditional Japanese knives, such as this, must be exclusively sharpened on whetstones.