This exquisite water quenched blade, forged by Kengi Togashi, has been dubbed “Mt. Fuji with waves” because of the unique hamon.
Kenji Togashi is one of the most well known highly skilled traditional craftsman in Sakai, and his knives are true masterpieces. For this line of knives he teams up with master knife sharpener and traditional craftsman Hirotsugu Tosa, to create some of the most sought after knives for professional sushi chefs and knife collectors.
This knife is a single bevel Yanagiba meant only for slicing raw pieces of protein. It is forged from a single piece of Hitachi Shirogami #2, white paper steel. I recommend the owner of this knife be proficient with water-stones, as this knife requires special attention and care.
I have personally selected and inspected this knife on a recent trip to Sakai, where I also carefully picked out a matching Sandal wood handle and saya.
The Kanji on the tang reads: 2019, Made in Sakai, Senshu, Togashi made
Steel | Shirogami #2 water quenched |
HRC | 62:63 |
Overall Length | 450mm |
Edge Length | 294mm |
Height at heel | 37.1mm |
Height at belly | 35.3mm |
Height 1 cm from tip | 14.5mm |
Spine thickness above heel | 4.1mm |
Weight w/handle | 265mm |
Handle | Red Sandalwood w/white buffalo horn collar |
Saya | Red Sandalwood custom friction fit |
Shape | Yanagiba |
Finish | Mirror Fuji nami |
Blacksmith | Kenji Togashi |
Sharpener and finisher | Hirotsugu |
Maker | Sakai Takayuki, Aoki Hamono |
Origin | Sakai, Japan |