Hitohira Tanaka Katsushiro Blue #1 Yanagiba 270mm Ebony Handle (Saya)

The Yanagiba is the traditional Japanese slicer, often referred to as the “sushi knife.” It’s built for slicing boneless proteins with high precision. While it’s a bit more specialised and less versatile than a Sujihiki, a well-sharpened Yanagiba delivers outstanding performance thanks to its unique geometry and razor-sharp edge.

You’ll often find it in Japanese kitchens for fine, delicate slicing tasks, but it’s by no means limited to Japanese cooking. A Yanagiba shines in any kitchen where precision matters, and it’s perfect for all kinds of clean, controlled slicing.

And yes, you can absolutely cut straight down with a single-bevel knife.

The traditional Japanese slicer. The king of knives and ofter referred to as ’Sushi knife’ it is used for slicing boneless protein. More specific and less versatile compared to the Sujihiki, the performance of the properly sharpened Yanagiba will yield much higher quality results due to their geometry and sharpness. Characteristics in steel are pronounced in single bevel knives and different sharpeners make for much variety.

This is a carbon steel knife. That means this knife is made of non-stainless steel. There is no or an insufficient amount of chromium and/or nickel to protect this steel against oxidation. Steel such as this will react to moisture and oxygen. That on itself is not a bad thing, you might even argue it’s a great thing. The knife will form a wonderful patina, it will sharpen easily and the edge life will not disappoint.

The care for a carbon steel knife such as this is not very elaborate, and very comparable to any other knife. Always store your knife clean and dry, no dishwasher, don’t let it air-dry and avoid extremely hard products like frozen foods or bones. With carbon steel you want to dry your knife also during cooking, never leave it moist or wet for too long. Often a quick wipe a dry cloth or towel is more than enough. A carbon steel knife can rust if not taken care of properly. Rust can removed but it is of course something we want to avoid.

Please note that there are many different carbon steels, just like stainless steels, each with its own properties and characteristics. Each should be judged individually.