Takohiki

蛸引

Kanto sashimi knife Sashimi Slicing 3D Model

A takohiki (蛸引) is the Kanto type of Japanese sashimi knife: single-bevel, with a thin, narrow blade and a square tip. A Japanese encyclopedia sorts sashimi knives by the tip, calling the pointed ones yanagiba and the unpointed ones takohiki, and the Sakai cutlery association names the takohiki the Kanto-type sashimi knife.

A Sakai knife maker says a sashimi knife is long and narrow because a clean-edged slice needs the length, cut in one pull along the whole blade. It sizes the knife by the fish, giving 240mm for home use and 300mm and up for professional cooks, and because the takohiki is single-bevel, one for a left-handed cook is made the other way round.

The takohikis we list run from 270mm to 330mm, in White 2 carbon steel. The Sakai maker's care advice for carbon steel: it rusts if left wet or with food on it, so wash it straight after use, dry it and oil it.

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Frequently asked questions

What size takohiki should I buy?

Choose by the size of the fish you prepare. A knife maker's guide says home cooks buy a 240 mm sashimi knife and professional cooks 300 mm or longer.

Check the current range for takohiki (蛸引), with 270, 300 and 330 mm options when available.

Published by K&S Education Desk; staff review pending

Takohiki or yanagiba: what is the difference?

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.

Published by K&S Education Desk; staff review pending