Yu Kurosaki Yanagiba Aogami #2 Migaki 300mm (11.8”)

A true showcase of master blacksmith Yu Kurosaki’s skill and artistry. The minimalistic, lightweight, perfectly balanced blade is treated to a high mirror polish on one side and a cloudy polished finish on the urasuki side. It is fitted with an elegant octagonal Japanese handle made from luxury ebony wood, topped with a marble buffalo horn ferrule.

Besides the obvious impressive characteristics, this knife also boasts a core from one of the most popular steels in Japanese knife making — Aogami #2 blue steel — renowned as one of the finest high-carbon steels, famous for its excellent edge retention and easy sharpening.

BLADE SHAPE:
Yanagiba knives are designed to cut thin slices of raw fish (ideal for sushi lovers), and also for cutting large pieces of meat (e.g. steaks). It's a single bevel knife, which means 🚨 only right-handed users can wield it. We usually find yanagiba knives in sushi and Japanese restaurants, but there is a growing trend of home cooks owning these beauties for weekend sushi or BBQ parties.

Yanagiba roughly translates to English as a “willow-leaf blade” which perfectly describes the long and slender blade of the knife that is primarily used to fillet fish. Its fine sharpness ensures very little cellular damage in the cut surface, which is particularly important for dishes where fish is eaten raw, because it helps to preserve its original flavor and texture.

*The length of the cutting edge is 285mm (heel to point), but with this knife the length is measured from the edge of the handle to the tip of the blade, amounting to 300mm.

STEEL:
Aogami #2 is a very popular steel in Japanese knifemaking and one of the finest high-carbon steels. The knives forged from it are quite hard (63 HRC!) and will have excellent edge retention and also sharpen very easily. At the same time, it is less resistant to corrosion, meaning that with use, the blade will develop a protective patina, while longer exposure to water or other corrosives could also lead to rusting. This is improved to some extent with the addition of chromium and tungsten, but it’s still a high-carbon steel that should be maintained accordingly (⚠️ read more about knife maintenance here). 
Aogami #2 steel is composed of carbon (C) 1.1 %, chromium (Cr) 0.5 %, manganese (Mn) 0.3%, and tungsten (W) 1.5%.

LAMINATION:
The blade is composed of a hard core (forming the cutting edge) and a softer, external layer of soft iron, a cladding we call ni-mai lamination. This 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.

→ Read more on Blade Construction: Lamination.

GEOMETRY:
It has a single bevel (asymmetrical) blade. As such, the blade is not suited for left-handed people but right-handed users only. Single bevel blades make extremely precise cuts and are easy to resharpen. The back side of the blade is flat with a slightly concave lower part, while the sharp side tapers in a slightly convex line to the edge. Traditional Japanese single bevel knives are knives with a bevel on the front – shinogi – side and a concave back – uraoshi – side. Uraoshi is the thin, flat rim that surrounds the urasuki which serves to optimize performance and enhance strength of the blade. The urasuki grind can be resharpened very quickly and easily, reduces the effect of food sticking to the blade, and lends itself well to certain cutting techniques (e.g., katsuramuki or the art of peeling a white radish (daikon). 
The blade has a distal taper - at the tang, the blade is 3.8mm (0.18") thick and narrows towards the tip, where it is 2.6mm (0.10") thick. This gives it more strength and weight at the handle (meaning we can exert more pressure with the heel) and more precision at the tip, allowing for smooth and precise cuts.

BLADE FINISH:
The hand-chiseled kanji signature is the only distinguishing element on this otherwise clean, highly polished (also called migaki) blade. It has a mirror finish on the front and a cloudy migaki finish on the back.

HANDLE:
The blade is fitted with an elegant octagonal Japanese handle made from luxury ebony wood, topped with a marble buffalo horn ferrule. Ebony wood is renowned for its exceptional hardness and density, which makes it one of the most durable and resistant woods and very sought after. It is polished to a high gloss, creating a luxurious and elegant appearance and smooth feel that fits into the hand seamlessly.

ABOUT THE BLACKSMITH:
Yu Kurosaki is a talented master blacksmith who lives in Takefu Knife Village, close to the city of Echizen. His knives are well known throughout Japan and also around the world for their beautiful, unique-looking design and superior quality. Hammer dents on the blade are his signature finish, and just like with snowflakes, not a single dent is alike. Needless to say (but we will say it anyway), his knives don’t only look great but they’re also made of high-quality steel and have a razor sharp, long-lasting edge.

Before opening his own smithy, Kurosaki-san was the apprentice of Hiroshi Kato, a master blacksmith with more than 50 years of knife-making experience. Kato-san is one of the founders of Takefu Knife Village, where now more than 10 master blacksmiths make knives by hand and put them on display for visitors to admire and learn more about their craft. Kurosaki-san is the youngest blacksmith to be granted the title of Master Nokaji by Takefu Knife Village Association and is a senior teacher there.

☝️ When you visit Japan, make sure to put the Takefu Knife Village to your itinerary!

Here's a short video of Kurosaki's workshop: