Kikuichi Kokaji White #1 Yanagiba Sanmai, oval Magnolia -240 mm- + Saya
SKU: KY240Kikuichi Kokaji Sanmai Yanagiba
This sturdy Japanese fish/sashimi knife has a sanmai forged core of Japanese Shirogami #1 White paper (non-stainless) carbon steel. This single-sided sharpened knife is completely hand-forged by Kikuichi's master blacksmith. The blade is manually sharpened and has no thickenings, which makes sharpening very easy. A Yanagiba is the traditional Japanese fish knife which can be used for raw meat and fish and for cutting sushi rolls and sashimi.
- Blade length: 240 mm
- Total length: xxx mm
- Weight: xxx grams
- Blade thickness: xxx mm
- Steel type: core steel: Japanese Shirogami #1 (non-stainless) steel with a softer layer of steel for the outside
- Hardness: 62-63 (Rockwell C)
- Handle: Oval magnolia wooden (Honoki) handle with black buffalo horn bolster.
- Includes handmade wooden Saya
Like all Japanese knives, the handmade knives from Kikuichi are not dishwasher safe, cleaning and drying after each use is the best treatment for these exclusive products.
Kikuichi Monjyu Shiro Kanenaga
Kikuichi has a long and impressive history. The current forge has been in the well-known "knife town" Sakai for 100 years, but the foundation of the brand started well before that. Over 700 years ago, the then Emperor of Japan, Emperor Gotoba, commissioned Shiro Kanenaga (the founder of Kikuichi) to become his personal swordsmith. For centuries, Kikuichi's smiths made swords for the emperors. The imperial symbol of the "Chrysanthemum" was visible on the swords and this can be seen on the blades to this day. The chrysanthemum is the national symbol of Japan. The imperial seal is a stylized chrysanthemum, and the country has a knighthood named after the flower, the Chrysanthemum Order.
Shiro Kanenaga is one of Kikuichi's distant ancestors and his name is integrated into the company's current name: Kikuichi Monjyu Shiro Kanenaga, Kikuichi: literally "First Chrysanthemum", Monjyu is the Buddha worshiped by Shiro Kanenaga in Nara, his hometown south of Osaka.
