Yanagiba translates as “willow blade” since the narrow, long and curved blade shape on the back side resembles a willow leaf. The specialty of the Yanagiba is slicing fish in a precise and clean way for cutting sashimi or nigiri for example. It can also be used for filleting certain fishes and slicing meat.  The very fine cutting edge can be damaged easily, so we advise you to be careful with bones. The concave back of the knife (urusaki) creates an air gap between the fish flesh and the blade, making it easy to detach the blade from the fish flesh, while the bevel on the face of the knife (shinogi) makes it easy to detach the piece of fish being sliced. The Yanagiba is generally found between 210 mm and 330 mm.

Born in 1948, Kenji Togashi began his career in 1966-67 and received numerous awards over the years. In 1990, he received the Dentō-Kugeishi, granted by the Japanese Ministry of Economy and Trade. This award is reserved for Japanese craftsmen who are masters in their field and have accumulated at least 12 years of experience and proven their mastery of their art, both in theory and in practice. In 2007, the city of Sakai/Osaka awarded him the certification of "Master of Traditional Craftsmanship" for his excellent tempering technique and his exceptional mastery of making kitchen knives that honor the ancestral Japanese forging traditions.

Today, Kenji Togashi makes his knives from start to finish in his workshop in Sakai/Osaka. He works with his three sons and a few apprentices to bring us top quality blades that meet the standards of the master Togashi himself. When you buy a Togashi blade, you are assured of a level of forging, grinding and finishing quality that rivals the best forging houses in Sakai.

Shirogami #1 by Hitachi steel co translates to white steel #1 and is an improved version of Shirogami #2 as it contains a higher carbon content.  It is named after the color of the paper in which it is packaged once produced. It is considered one of the purest steels, after Tamahagane, which allows for a sharper edge than most other steels. However, it will generally be more brittle and can break more easily due to misuse. Mastering the forging of shirogami #1 to exploit its full potential is not simple and requires an expertise that few blacksmiths have. It is in the process of making a Mizu Honyaki type knife that you will find the shirogami #1 in its most difficult to forge version, but also the sharpest.