Yanagiba/Takobiki

Together with the skilled craftsmen, Yamamoto Hideaki and Yamamoto Shinichiro, we are proud to introduce Gesshin Hide.  These knives represent the best of Sakai Uchihamono.  From the first time I sharpened one of these knives in 2010, I knew how amazing they were.  With a combination of great steel and amazing grinding, shaping, and sharpening work, these knives are easily among the best single bevel knives I have used. On all of our newer ones we have started polishing the spine and choil.

Each Gesshin Hide knife comes with a sticker guaranteeing that only certified craftsmen have worked on the knife, and each knife has a unique serial number.  This is rare, even in Sakai, where these knives are made.  Only the highest quality knives receive this honor.  We have included a picture of this sticker on the product page.

We hope you enjoy the Gesshin Hide line, as we are extremely proud to be carrying them.

Together with the skilled craftsmen, Yamamoto Hideaki and Yamamoto Shinichiro, we are proud to introduce Gesshin Hide.  These knives represent the best of Sakai Uchihamono.  From the first time I sharpened one of these knives in 2010, i knew how amazing they were.  With a combination of great steel and amazing grinding, shaping, and sharpening work, these knives are easily among the best single bevel knives I have used. On all of our newer ones we have started polishing the spine and choil.

Originally, we only carried knives in Blue #1 from this series, but we have decided to add some new options, starting with Ginsanko.

We hope you enjoy the Gesshin Hide line, as we are extremely proud to be carrying them.

Together with the skilled craftsmen, Yamamoto Hideaki and Yamamoto Shinichiro, we are proud to introduce Gesshin Hide.  These knives represent the best of Sakai Uchihamono.  From the first time I sharpened one of these knives in 2010, I knew how amazing they were.  With a combination of great steel and amazing grinding, shaping, and sharpening work, these knives are easily among the best single bevel knives I have used. On all of our newer ones we have started polishing the spine and choil.

Originally, we only carried knives in Blue #1 from this series, but we have decided to add some new options, starting with Ginsanko.

We hope you enjoy the Gesshin Hide line, as we are extremely proud to be carrying them.

The Gesshin Ittetsu 180mm White #2 Single Bevel Wa-Petty is a very cool knife. As a single bevel knife, it is actually a lot like a yanagiba, but slightly thinner than what Ittetsu normally does for yanagiba in this size. This size works out to be a very nice utility knife and can be used for slicing many things (though you should keep it away from very hard foods and meats with bone). For a long time, I used a yanagiba this size as a utility/multi-purpose knife in professional kitchens. I still use that knife to this day in my home kitchen for meats (both cooked and raw), veggies, and fruits.

The Gesshin Kagekiyo knives represent some of the highest levels of craftsmanship and quality we have seen. The blacksmiths, sharpeners, and even lacquerware craftsmen are all amazingly skilled, as can clearly be seen by simply looking at them. In fact, all of the craftsmen are certified craftsmen or dentou-kougeishi (a very prestigious honor). These knives have amazing fit and finish, spectacular grinds, some of the most beautiful handles and saya we've seen on Japanese knives, and amazing geometry. These Ko Yanagiba were originally a special request from our friend Liwei Liao at The Joint Eatery in Los Angeles.  He uses them for sukibiki and other fish-related cleaning tasks, but we just think they are a fun small single bevel shape.

The Gesshin Kagekiyo knives represent some of the highest levels of craftsmanship and quality we have seen. The blacksmiths, sharpeners, and even lacquerware craftsmen are all amazingly skilled, as can clearly be seen by simply looking at them. In fact, all of the craftsmen are certified craftsmen or dentou-kougeishi (a very prestigious honor). These knives have amazing fit and finish, spectacular grinds, some of the most beautiful handles and saya we've seen on Japanese knives, and amazing geometry. These Ko Yanagiba were originally a special request from our friend Liwei Liao at The Joint Eatery in Los Angeles.  He uses them for tsukibiki and other fish-related cleaning tasks, but we just think they are a fun small single bevel shape.

The Gesshin Damascus Yanagiba is stainless steel at about 61hrc. They come with mahogany octagonal handles and white spacers. The saya are included and have a genius addition...the saya pin is attached to the saya by a string, so as to prevent the loss of the pin. 

Over the years, we've had a number of customers ask us for more stainless options for single bevel knives.  Many sushi restaurants in the west incorporate higher quantities of acidic foods and often push through a high volume of food, so having a stainless yanagiba can be very convenient in these cases. Likewise, for home cooks that are not interested in the care and maintenance involved in carbon steel knives, stainless options often make more sense.

The damascus pattern on the blade runs in a unique way... parallel to the edge.  These knives have a unique look, and to some, maybe more aesthetically pleasing. 

For sharpening, we recommend the use of a microbevel with this series.

The Gesshin Damascus Yanagiba is stainless steel at about 61hrc.  They come with mahogany octogonal handles and white spacers.  The saya are included and have a genius addition...the saya pin is attached to the saya by a string, so as to prevent the loss of the pin.

Over the years, we've had a number of customers ask us for more stainless options for single bevel knives.  Many sushi restaurants in the west incorporate higher quantities of acidic foods and often push through a high volume of food, so having a stainless yanagiba can be very convenient in these cases.  Likewise, for home cooks that are not interested in the care and maintenance involved in carbon steel knives, stainless options often make more sense.

The damascus pattern on the blade runs in a unique way... parallel to the edge.  These knives have a unique look, and to some, maybe more aesthetically pleasing.

For sharpening, we recommend the use of a microbevel with this series.

Our Gesshin Uraku line represents a great value in kitchen cutlery. For a long time, we have been searching for a line of single bevel knives with a great balance of quality and value. We’ve finally found them. This Gesshin Uraku line fits the bill perfectly. These knives are made of white #2 steel with a kasumi finish. They come with ho wood octagonal handles and matching ho wood saya. Unlike many low-cost single bevel knives, these ones are very well finished and have significantly fewer problems than lower cost knives (all knives have some imperfections…even high-end knives…but these have less high and low spots, less sharp non-cutting edges, less prevalence of wavy backs, less prevalence of torsional twisting, etc.). The handles on these knives come with either black, marble, or blonde buffalo horn. We cannot take specific requests, but feel free to check with us about what we have in stock.

These knives are great for beginners and for professionals looking for a great, functional work knife.  We hope you enjoy this line from Gesshin Uraku. 

Our Gesshin Uraku line represents a great value in kitchen cutlery. For a long time, we have been searching for a line of single bevel knives with a great balance of quality and value. We’ve finally found them. This Gesshin Uraku line fits the bill perfectly. These knives are made of white #2 steel with a kasumi finish. They come with ho wood octagonal handles and matching ho wood saya. Unlike many low-cost single bevel knives, these ones are very well finished and have significantly fewer problems than lower cost knives (all knives have some imperfections…even high-end knives…but these have less high and low spots, less sharp non-cutting edges, less prevalence of wavy backs, less prevalence of torsional twisting, etc.). The handles on these knives come with either black, marble, or blonde buffalo horn. We cannot take specific requests, but feel free to check with us about what we have in stock. 

These knives are great for beginners and for professionals looking for a great, functional work knife.  We hope you enjoy this line from Gesshin Uraku.

Our Gesshin Uraku line represents a great value in kitchen cutlery. For a long time, we have been searching for a line of single bevel knives with a great balance of quality and value. We’ve finally found them. This Gesshin Uraku line fits the bill perfectly. These knives are made of white #2 steel with a kasumi finish. They come with ho wood octagonal handles and matching ho wood saya. Unlike many low-cost single bevel knives, these ones are very well finished and have significantly fewer problems than lower cost knives (all knives have some imperfections…even high-end knives…but these have less high and low spots, less sharp non-cutting edges, less prevalence of wavy backs, less prevalence of torsional twisting, etc.). The handles on these knives come with either black, marble, or blonde buffalo horn. We cannot take specific requests, but feel free to check with us about what we have in stock.

These knives are great for beginners and for professionals looking for a great, functional work knife.  We hope you enjoy this line from Gesshin Uraku. 

Our Gesshin Uraku line represents a great value in kitchen cutlery. For a long time, we have been searching for a line of single bevel knives with a great balance of quality and value. We’ve finally found them. This Gesshin Uraku line fits the bill perfectly. These knives are made of white #2 steel with a kasumi finish. They come with very nice red and black lacquered handles and saya, and have a very elegant aesthetic. Unlike many low-cost single bevel knives, these ones are very well finished and have significantly fewer problems than lower cost knives (all knives have some imperfections…even high-end knives…but these have less high and low spots, less sharp non-cutting edges, less prevalence of wavy backs, less prevalence of torsional twisting, etc.)

These knives are great for beginners and for professionals looking for a great, functional work knife.  We hope you enjoy this line from Gesshin Uraku. 

Our Gesshin Uraku line represents a great value in kitchen cutlery. For a long time, we have been searching for a line of single bevel knives with a great balance of quality and value. We’ve finally found them. This Gesshin Uraku line fits the bill perfectly. These knives are made of white #2 steel with a kasumi finish. They come with ho wood octagonal handles and matching ho wood saya. Unlike many low-cost single bevel knives, these ones are very well finished and have significantly fewer problems than lower cost knives (all knives have some imperfections…even high-end knives…but these have less high and low spots, less sharp non-cutting edges, less prevalence of wavy backs, less prevalence of torsional twisting, etc.). The handles on these knives come with either black, marble, or blonde buffalo horn. We cannot take specific requests, but feel free to check with us about what we have in stock.

These knives are great for beginners and for professionals looking for a great, functional work knife. We hope you enjoy this line from Gesshin Uraku. 

Our Gesshin Uraku line represents a great value in kitchen cutlery. For a long time, we have been searching for a line of single bevel knives with a great balance of quality and value. We’ve finally found them. This Gesshin Uraku line fits the bill perfectly. These knives are made of white #2 steel with a kasumi finish. They come with ho wood octagonal handles and matching ho wood saya. Unlike many low-cost single bevel knives, these ones are very well finished and have significantly fewer problems than lower cost knives (all knives have some imperfections…even high-end knives…but these have less high and low spots, less sharp non-cutting edges, less prevalence of wavy backs, less prevalence of torsional twisting, etc.). The handles on these knives come with either black, marble, or blonde buffalo horn. We cannot take specific requests, but feel free to check with us about what we have in stock.

These knives are great for beginners and for professionals looking for a great, functional work knife.  We hope you enjoy this line from Gesshin Uraku. 

Our Gesshin Uraku line represents a great value in kitchen cutlery. For a long time, we have been searching for a line of single bevel knives with a great balance of quality and value. We’ve finally found them. This Gesshin Uraku line fits the bill perfectly. These knives are made of white #2 steel with a kasumi finish. They come with ho wood octagonal handles and matching ho wood sayas. Unlike many low-cost single bevel knives, these ones are very well finished and have significantly fewer problems than lower cost knives (all knives have some imperfections…even high-end knives…but these have less high and low spots, less sharp non-cutting edges, less prevalence of wavy backs, less prevalence of torsional twisting, etc.). The handles on these knives come with either black, marble, or blonde buffalo horn. We cannot take specific requests, but feel free to check with us about what we have in stock.

These knives are great for beginners and for professionals looking for a great, functional work knife. We hope you enjoy this line from Gesshin Uraku.

Our Gesshin Uraku line represents a great value in kitchen cutlery. For a long time, we have been searching for a line of single bevel knives with a great balance of quality and value. We’ve finally found them. This Gesshin Uraku line fits the bill perfectly. These knives are made of white #2 steel with a kasumi finish. They come with very nice red and black lacquered handles and saya, and have a very elegant aesthetic. Unlike many low-cost single bevel knives, these ones are very well finished and have significantly fewer problems than lower cost knives (all knives have some imperfections…even high-end knives…but these have less high and low spots, less sharp non-cutting edges, less prevalence of wavy backs, less prevalence of torsional twisting, etc.)

These knives are great for beginners and for professionals looking for a great, functional work knife.  We hope you enjoy this line from Gesshin Uraku. 

We have a wonderful kiritsuke yanagiba from our Gesshin Uraku series. We can attest to the ease of sharpening of the white #2 of this series and the machine-like consistency of the grinds as this example has gone through a full-bevel sharpening by us. We have done the yaki sugi treatment to the handle and laser-engraved the map of Sakai, where the workshop that produces this knife is located.

The Kochi line is an exclusive to Japanese Knife Imports.  These knives have a great in-hand feel... not too heavy, but not super light.  The yanagiba is very nice and thin and the grind is very nice.  The blue #2 steel takes a very good edge and has very nice edge retention too.  The octagon burnt chestnut handles are very comfortable and retain grip very well when wet.  These are carbon knives, so they will need to be cared for as such.  They can rust if left wet and/or dirty and will develop a patina over time.  The cladding on these knives are reactive, but not as reactive as many i have seen.

When I began testing this series, I was really impressed with the cutting ability of these knives and how easy they were to sharpen.  We are very excited to introduce you to Kochi knives.