Exotic: Yoshikazu Ikeda White #1 Mizu-Honyaki Mt. Fuji Sakimaru Takohiki 390mm w/ Saya

An encyclopedia describes sashimi knives as thin and narrow, calling the pointed ones yanagiba and the unpointed ones takohiki. A sakimaru takohiki is the rounded-tip variant, so it has a rounded point despite its takohiki name.

A trade body, the Sakai cutlery association, calls the takohiki (たこ引き包丁) the Kanto-type sashimi knife, and the yanagiba the sashimi knife used mainly in Kansai, with an acute edge that is not for bone.

Yes, among Shirogami 1, 2 and 3 on Proterial's pages. It describes Shirogami 1 (白紙1号) as having the highest hardness and gives it 1.25 to 1.35% carbon, compared with high hardness and 1.05 to 1.15% carbon for Shirogami 2, and middle hardness and 0.80 to 0.90% carbon for Shirogami 3.

All three are carbon steels that can rust, so wash the knife and dry it after use.

White 1, White 2 and White 3 are Proterial's Shirogami 1, Shirogami 2 and Shirogami 3. Proterial lists carbon at 1.25 to 1.35% for Shirogami 1, 1.05 to 1.15% for Shirogami 2 and 0.80 to 0.90% for Shirogami 3, with the same silicon and manganese ranges for all three and no chromium listed.

Proterial describes all three as carbon steel with minimum impurities, at highest, high and middle hardness in that order, and gives a hardening hardness of over 60 HRC for each.

Shirogami 1 (White 1) has more carbon than Shirogami 2 (White 2): Proterial lists 1.25 to 1.35% carbon for Shirogami 1 and 1.05 to 1.15% for Shirogami 2, with the same silicon (0.10 to 0.20%) and manganese (0.20 to 0.30%) ranges for both.

Proterial describes both as carbon steel with minimum impurities, Shirogami 1 with the highest hardness and Shirogami 2 with high hardness, and gives a hardening hardness of over 60 HRC for both. It lists Shirogami 1 for the highest quality tipped tools, planes, chisels and razors, and Shirogami 2 for high quality tipped tools, chisels, razors, sickles, axes and gravers.

Mizu honyaki (水本焼) is water-quenched honyaki, and Yoshikazu Ikeda's own page says it is one of the professional Japanese knives he mainly makes. The Ikeda honyaki we list under titles that say Mizu-Honyaki are water-quenched.

On hardening, Ikeda says on the City of Sakai film site that the fire's temperature is everything and that he judges it by the colour of the flame. Honyaki can run about 1 to 2 HRC harder than comparable non-honyaki knives, and how much varies by maker.

Yoshikazu Ikeda (池田美和) of Ikeda Tanrenjo (池田鍛錬所) in Sakai, who began making knives under his father, a blacksmith, in 1967 and went independent as Ikeda Tanrenjo in 1983.

The City of Sakai's register lists him under forging (鍛冶), certified in 1988.

Yes. His profile page records his certification as a traditional craftsman by Japan's Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry in 1988.

The same page dates his start in knives to 1967, working under his father, a blacksmith, and records the workshop's independence as Ikeda Tanrenjo in 1983.