Yanagiba

What the research shows

A yanagiba is a long, slender, single-bevel Japanese knife designed for slicing raw fish for sashimi and nigiri. Its length — typically 240 to 330mm — lets the chef cut a clean slice in one long pulling stroke rather than sawing, which keeps the fish's surface glossy and its texture intact. The single-bevel edge glides through delicate flesh with minimal cell damage, which is why sushi chefs treat it as the defining tool of sashimi work. It's the Kanto (Tokyo) style; the Kansai equivalent, the takohiki, has a blunt squared tip. It's a specialist knife — it won't replace a general-purpose blade for everyday prep.

The Knives & Stones take

The whole point of a yanagi is the single pulling cut — one stroke, no sawing — so the fish keeps its sheen and texture instead of getting shredded. If you're buying your first one, start at 270mm or 300mm, and honestly, start with stainless: you need to learn to sharpen a single bevel before you babysit reactive carbon. My safe pick is the Sakai Takayuki INOX Stainless Yanagiba 300mm ($300 AUD) — forgiving steel, proper Sakai grind, ideal while you build technique. Lefties get a rare treat here: the Nakagawa Ginsan Yanagiba 270/300/330mm Mirror Polished, Left-Handed ($749 AUD) — ginsan stainless, mirror finish, genuine left-handed single bevel. Both will out-slice any double-bevel 'sashimi knife'.