Sukenari HAP40 Mirror Polished Yanagiba 330 mm, Ebony Brass Handle

A yanagiba (柳刃包丁) is a sashimi knife for slicing raw fish. A knife maker's guide says a sashimi knife cuts without breaking the fibres of the flesh, and that it is longer and narrower than other knives because slicing sashimi with crisp edges needs the length.

The whole length goes through one pulling cut. The Sakai cutlery association calls the yanagiba the sashimi knife used mainly in the Kansai region.

Size a yanagiba to the fish you prepare: a knife maker's guide gives 270 to 360 mm for professional use and 240 to 270 mm for home use, with 270 mm at home if you slice larger fish.

The guide says the whole length goes through one pulling cut, so do not choose too short a knife, and at home it points to the size of your board and your work space. We list the yanagiba (柳刃) from 210 to 360 mm, some made for left-handed use.

No. The Sakai cutlery association describes the yanagiba (柳刃包丁) edge as so acute that it cannot be used on hard things such as bones.

For bones the association describes the deba (出刃包丁), whose heel is used to hit them.

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.

A sujihiki is a double bevel meat slicer: long, narrow, and made for dividing larger pieces of meat into their parts and for slicing roasts. A Sakai knife maker notes that some cooks also use its shape as a double bevel sashimi knife, so it is not limited to meat.

A yanagiba is the single bevel sashimi knife, cut in one pulling stroke from heel to tip. A single bevel cuts thinner, but it needs practice and is handed. A yanagiba edge is too acute for bone or other hard things, so it stays in the sashimi role. The usual lengths differ by job: sujihiki around 240 to 300 mm, yanagiba around 270 to 330 mm.

Choose the sujihiki for meat and general slicing, with sashimi as a secondary use. Choose the yanagiba when traditional single bevel sashimi work is the main job and you are ready for the handling and sharpening that construction requires.

No. Semi-stainless is the trade label used on our HAP-40 steel page, not a statement that HAP-40 meets the stainless steel definition.

Proterial's typical composition for HAP-40 puts chromium at 3.7 to 4.7%, under the 10.5% or more that defines stainless steel, so it can rust. Proterial lists HAP-40 under the JIS designation SKH40. We recommend drying it after use.

Proterial lists the hardening hardness of HAP 40 as 66 to 68 HRC after quenching at 1180 to 1210°C with oil cooling, or 64 to 66 HRC after quenching at 1120 to 1190°C.

Proterial describes HAP 40 as a P/M (powder metallurgy) high speed steel with high abrasion resistance and toughness for general use, corresponding to JIS SKH40.

Our line page describes the Sukenari HAP40 Single Bevel Mirror Polish as a nimai construction with stainless cladding and a mirror polish, rather than honyaki.

Proterial, which makes HAP40, lists the steel under the JIS designation SKH40.