Hideo Kitaoka
Hideo Kitaoka is both a third generation blacksmith, and a founding member of the Takefu Knife Village in Echizen city, Fukui prefecture, Japan. Starting his apprenticeship under his father and grandfather from a very young age, Kitaoka-san has spent decades specializing in and perfecting single bevel knives, and working solely with Aogami and Shirogami steel. With surprisingly levels of fit and finish, and fantastic grinds, we don't think you can find a better single bevel for anywhere near the price of these affordable, high performance works of art!
The Takefu Knife Village is a cooperative workshop in the Echizen region of Japan. It is the home to a long list of blacksmiths that we work with and many young and upcoming apprentices learning the trade. The area has a 700 year long history of smithing with roots in agricultural tools turned cutlery powerhouse.
The Knife
The Yanagiba is a traditional, single beveled, Japanese fish slicing knife, primarily used to slice and skin boneless fish fillets. They feature a long, slender blade, allowing the user to make long drawing strokes for the perfect slice. Being single beveled, they angle in from only one side of the blade and thus are super sharp. Minimizing cellular damage to raw fish before consuming it preserves the freshness, texture, and flavour of the fish. The Yanagiba does just that, making it the preferred tool for Japanese sushi chefs when slicing sashimi.
*THIS KNIFE IS FOR RIGHT HANDED USERS ONLY*
