Sukenari SG2 Nimai Sakimaru Takobiki 330mm, Ebony Handle Horn Ferrule

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.

SG2 is my go-to recommendation for anyone who wants a stainless knife that performs like carbon steel without the fuss. At 62 HRC or more (Takefu's figure), it takes a screaming edge and holds it far longer than VG-10 or AEB-L, all while being rust-resistant. You get the best of both worlds: no patina worry, but real cutting performance.

Neither is objectively better, it just depends on whether you value stainless convenience or a laser-sharp carbon edge. Go with SG2 if you want a knife that holds a screaming edge without any babysitting. Choose AS if you are chasing the thinnest possible edge and don't mind wiping the blade down after every use.

SG2 is a powdered stainless steel from Takefu, rated at 62 HRC or more. It is tough and resists corrosion, which is why I reach for it when working with acidic foods. Aogami Super is high carbon, and Proterial gives it a hardening hardness of over 60 HRC. It sharpens to a hair-whittling edge that lasts slightly longer than SG2, but it will rust if you neglect it.

Yes, R2 and SG2 are the same steel — R2 is the name used by Kobelco Steel, and SG2 (Super Gold 2) is the name used by Takefu Special Steel for the identical powdered metallurgy formula. SG2 / R2 is a powder (PM) steel from Takefu Special Steel, Japan, with a composition of 1.25% carbon, 14.0% chromium, 1.8% vanadium, 2.3% molybdenum, and a hardness range of 62–64 HRC. So if you see a knife labeled R2 or SG2, you are getting the exact same material.

Sukenari's own site carries both names together, titled the official site of 株式会社スケナリ with 佑成 named as a registered trademark. 佑成 is the house mark that appears on the blades.

So one house answers to both names: Sukenari is the company, 株式会社スケナリ, working from Fuchu machi in Toyama City, and 佑成 is its mark on the steel.

Yes. Sukenari says its knives are made by craftsmen by hand, one at a time, at its workshop in Fuchu machi, Toyama City.

The Sukenari lines we stock carry the workshop name in their titles.

The workshop says the 佑 of its registered mark 佑成 (read Sukenari) is written with the person radical and 右, right, and that the character carries the wish for its tools to become the cook's indispensable right arm.

The company's own site title reads 登録商標 佑成 (registered trademark), and 佑成 is the house mark on its blades.