An excellent choice for the sushi hobbyist or for someone who wants to try a real carbon steel traditional Japanese knife. This is still a remarkably well-made knife for the price (!), the only tradeoff being that it is made with a slightly less expensive Hitachi Yasugi white steel (instead of the higher end white-2 steel) and the final sharpening isn't as sharp as the more expensive knives, since the final sharpening of this type of knife is done by hand and so takes time (and money). You could certainly sharpen this up just as much as just about any other knife here, but to save money it simply doesn't come sharpened to this level from the factory. The perfect choice for someone looking for a traditional carbon steel real Japanese Yanagiba in a more manageable 240mm length (great for home use or in cramped kitchens), with all the hallmarks of a classic, but without breaking the bank. Hand-crafted with expert precision by hand at the Takayuki forge. This is a great opportunity to get a REAL Japanese knife handmade by real Japanese master craftsmen -- these are NOT assembly-line factory made knives! Own a piece of history as this ancient art is slowly becoming lost to robots and factories and cheap/low-end assembly and materials. Features a hard and high quality white steel (Rockwell hardness "HRC" of at least 60), real wooden handle, and a beautiful natural horn bolster. Note: the colour of the horn bolster may vary from the photo... it's a natural material with variations from dark to light, and with varying levels of colours and patterns sometimes even within the same piece. Again, this is CARBON steel, NOT stainless, so you must know how to care of it and keep it away from acidic foods that can stain or discolour it, and keep it away from excess humidity to avoid rusting. Of course it's for right-hand use only (sharpened only on the right side), and requires good maintenance and care for a lifetime or service. It's not rocket science to care for a knife, but a knife like this, like a high performance sports car, does require more care than your standard German stainless steel and plastic chef's knife! Being made of very hard carbon steel, this knife WILL be more fragile than other knives, especially stainless steel knives, and as such you are responsible for proper knife handling and care -- edge damage is never covered under any warranty.
NOTE: This knife is for RIGHT HAND USE ONLY.
Note: item/packaging may not be exactly as pictured. Each knife is handmade, and so variations and changes in lettering, handle, and box may occur.