Yanagiba translates as "willow blade" since the shape of its narrow, long, curved blade on the back resembles a willow leaf. The specialty of the Yanagiba is the precise and clean slicing of fish for sashimi or nigiri, for example. It can also be used to fillet certain fish and slice meat. The very fine edge can be damaged easily, so you are advised to be careful with bones and bones. The concave back of the knife (urusaki) creates an air gap between the fish flesh and the blade, allowing the blade to easily detach from the fish flesh, while the bevel on the face of the knife (shinogi) allows the piece of fish to easily detach. The Yanagiba is generally found between 210 mm and 330 mm.

Kenji Togashi was born in 1948 and began his career in 1966-67. Since then, he has received numerous accolades over the years. In 1990, he was awarded the Dentō-Kugeishi by the Japanese Ministry of Economy and Trade. This distinction is reserved for Japanese craftsmen who are masters in their field and have accumulated at least 12 years of experience and proven mastery of their art, both theoretically and practically. In 2007, the city of Sakai, in Osaka Prefecture, awarded him the certification of "Master of Traditional Craftsmanship" for his excellent tempering technique and exceptional mastery of kitchen knife making, honoring the traditions of ancestral Japanese blacksmithing.

Today, Kenji Togashi crafts his knives from start to finish in his workshop in Sakai. He works with his three sons and a few apprentices to produce superior blades that meet the standards of 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 blacksmiths in Sakai.

Shirogami #1 by Hitachi steel co translates as white steel #1 and is an improved version of Shirogami #2 as it contains a higher carbon content. It gets its name from the color of the paper in which it is wrapped 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 expertise that few blacksmiths possess. It is in the process of making a Mizu Honyaki type knife that you will find shirogami #1 in its most difficult to forge, but also its sharpest, version.