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Hitohira

Hitohira Tanaka Manzo Blue #1 Yanagiba 240mm Ho Wood Handle (D-Shape/ Saya)

Regular price
€308,00 EUR
Regular price
Sale price
€308,00 EUR
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Description

Tanaka Uchihamono is one of Sakai’s leading and most renowned forgeries, producing high quality single- and double bevel knives for over decades. Internationally famed for his Blue #1 because of it’s excellent edge retention and sharpening ease. Tanaka Uchihamono’s methods are very traditional: using only carbon steel, relying only on eyesight to determine steel temperatures, using pine charcoal in the forge and straw ash for annealing and normalizing cycles ect. It is in these techniques the Tanaka forgery show incredible skill and mastery of temperatures, steel and knowledge that creates their celebrated quality. Tanaka forged knives paired with some of Sakai’s best sharpeners and the Hitohira touch make these some of the finest blades we see. In the west Tanaka gyutos are most desired and sought after while this workshop has been making some of Japan’s highest single bevel knives for many years.

For this series these excellent blades are paired with Manzo’s great and consistent single bevel sharpening. Manzo is a sharpener in Sakai who exclusively sharpens single bevel knives. His sharpening style is characterized by a deep Ura (concave backside) and flat Kireha (primary bevel). In his opinion the deep ura contributes to a better geometry, performance and longer lasting performance throughout the life of the blade, even with repeated sharpening. A plus side of a deep ura is that you rarely get to see scratch marks across the ura when sharpening the back side yourself. Manzo sharpened knives are further refined with subtly chamfered back and choil, a good polish and good ‘out of the box’ edges.

What kind of knife is this?

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, please contact us directly if you need help in finding the right knife. 

Care Instructions

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.

Detailed Spec

Brand: Hitohira ひとひら
Smith: Tanaka Blacksmith 田中打刃物製作所
Producing Area: Sakai-Osaka/ Japan
Profile: Yanagiba
Size: 240mm
Steel Type: Carbon Steel
Steel: Yasuki Blue (Aogami) #1, Soft Iron Clad
Handle: Ho Wood & Buffalo Horn Ferrule D-Shape
Come with Saya
Total Length: 377mm
Edge Length: 231mm
Handle to Tip Length: 244mm
Blade Height: 31mm
Thickness: 2.8mm
Handle Length: 134mm
Weight: 140g
Hand Orientation: Right-Handed
Sharpener: Manzo
Update: November 18, 2023

*Please understand that all pictures on our website are made of random samples and as most products are made with natural materials by hand the color, appearances and even measurements can slightly vary. Please contact us if you wish to see the exact item we have on hand.