ZDP-189 Yanagiba Honyaki

This honyaki (!) yanagiba is a rare piece. Not just in our shop (we only have 1 in stock), it is difficult to find such yanagibas on the entire knife market. Not only that honyaki knives are the most prestige pieces of cutlery and a status symbol among sushi chefs, this yanagiba is made of ZDP-189 powder steel (65-67 HRC), one of the hardest steels available for knife making. Forged by the skilled hands of Osamu-san, the head blacksmith of Yoshida Hamono.

The steel contains as much as 3% Carbon (C), which is one of the main elements contributing strength and typically found in amounts of up to only 1% in other types of solid steel, while the Chromium (Cr) content, which prevents corrosion, amounts to nearly 20%. It also features 0.60% Tungsten (W), which considerably increases the abrasion resistance of steel, 1.4% Molybdenum (Mo), which helps to preserve the strength and power of steel under variable temperatures, and 0.10% Vanadium (V), the key element in increasing steel strength. Heat treatment produces steel with a hardness of 65-67 HRC.
ZDP-189 composition: C 3.00 % | Cr 20.00 % | W 0.60 % | Mo 1.40 % | V 0.10 % | Mn 0.50 % | Si 0.40 %

ZDP-189 Honyaki Yanagiba is made using a traditional method of hardening, the same process used for making high-end traditional katanas. Honyaki (literally true-fired) is a term used to describe knives that are made from one piece of steel. Such knives need a different process of hardening. After the blade is forged and roughly ground, a special mixture of clay, charcoal, natural sharpening stone and water is applied to the blade in a specific pattern. The knife is then quenched in water (that's the part of the process where the katana gets its iconic curved shape). The part of the knife that was not covered in clay hardens, while the part that was covered is cooled slower and doesn't harden that much. The result is a blade made from one alloy which has two different crystalline structures. The phase line between two different structures is called hamon. It takes a lot of experience, knowledge, and equipment to "pop" the hamon.

This yanagiba has a perfect geometry and weight for amazing cutting performance. Because the entire knife is made of ZDP-189 steel, it is quite challenging to sharpen it. Sharpening requires a lot of knowledge and time, but the result is fantastic. A fine, smooth sharpness and insanely long edge retention. We recommend Suehiro or Naniwa stones between #320-#5000 granulation and the #8000 grit stone for the final polish.