Furaibo Deba Shirogami #1 175mm (6.8") - BLADE
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This product is part of our Archive. |
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Furaibo 風来坊 - vagabond, wanderer Just like a vagabond wanders the earth without rest, seasons flow into each other and bring change on their way. The sun shines and turns to rain, wind blows past us and we weather the storms, nature perpetuating itself. And in the same steady flow, tradition and convention progress slowly and either give way to new ideas and inventions or reinforce the established status quo. Centuries of Japanese tradition of sword and blade manufacturing have allowed for such natural processes to play out and birthed many iterations of different blade shapes, sizes and materials they forged them from. Japanese kitchen knives serve as a sort of time capsule, preserving this spirit of excellence and tradition, and the blacksmiths, acting as amber around fossilized remnants of history, pass them to the next generations to keep them alive. With our previous designs and collaborations with Japanese blacksmiths, we focused heavily on multi-purpose knives to fit the needs of the contemporary chef. We felt that the next move should be a step in the opposite direction, focusing instead on the truly quintessential knives that showcase both the masterful craftsmanship and a rich culinary tradition those contemporary knife shapes were later built on. |
🚩 Due to its asymmetrical geometry the blade is suitable for right-handed users only.
Furaibo Deba, ever wandering from recipe to recipe, is forged from Shirogami #1 steel, one of the purest and most traditional steels used in Japanese knife manufacturing. The blade’s finish was kept within the confines of the Japanese concept of negative space (ma 間)* and given a sleek polished migaki look, and a kasumi finish on the kireha. Adorned with a hand-chiseled kanji, three symbols, one word – vagabond.
*the Japanese concept of ma or negative space is a philosophy that guides their approach to design, as well as other, everyday things – the core belief being that absence can be just as important as presence.
BLADE SHAPE:
Deba is a traditional knife a chef uses to prepare a whole fish; anything from cleaning, filleting, portioning fish, removing fins and heads, to chopping through smaller bones. It can also be used for preparing poultry and other meat with smaller bones.
The deba knife is a well-balanced blend of robustness and precision, achieved through two key aspects: its single bevel edge, and its thick and heavy blade.
The thick and heavy blade equips the deba for heavy-duty work that requires force – removing fins, tails, and fish heads, along with breaking down smaller bones. This thickness and weight provide the required force to perform these tasks without compromising the blade's structural integrity.
STEEL:
Shirogami steel (white steel) is extremely pure steel with a high percentage of carbon and no additional ingredients. Shirogami #1 is one of the purest steels, and consequently one of the easiest to sharpen. Its characteristics make Shirogami popular with traditional Japanese blacksmiths and sushi masters. The advantage of Shirogami #1 is that it has unparalleled sharpness, is easy to grind, and stays sharp for a very long time. It will require a little more attention in maintenance. The blade will acquire a protective patina with use. Therefore, it’s recommended you wipe the blade dry between and after use and oil it regularly.
→ Learn more about knife maintenance here.
LAMINATION:
Ni-mai lamination method is used on single-bevel knives, where a sheet of softer metal is forge-welded onto the shinogi (front) side of the blade’s hard core. This reinforces the blade’s structural integrity and consequently makes it tougher.
GEOMETRY:
It features a single-bevel edge and is therefore suitable for right-handed people only. This asymmetrical edge geometry allows for a more acute angle on one side, resulting in an extremely sharp cutting edge. This single-bevel deba knife can therefore execute cuts with surgical precision and achieve fine, clean slices of food, making precise cuts along bones. This is crucial, as filleting fish can be tricky and requires precise maneuvering, so using a sharp deba is essential in reducing the risk of damaging the delicate fish flesh.
BLADE FINISH:
This knife sports a minimalistic migaki finish, meaning the blade has been polished. The kireha, or “blade road” is adorned with a matte kasumi finish that marks the transition between the jigane (softer outer layer of steel) and hagane or the blade’s hard core.
HANDLE:
This knife is without a handle, so you can fit your own! Browse our selection of handles and create your own, custom-looking knife! If you would like for us to fit the selected handle to the blade for you, select Handle fitting service when adding the blade to the cart.