Sakai Takayuki Byakko (白虎) by Kenji Togashi

Byakko (白虎, the White Tiger) is an artisan yanagiba line forged by master Kenji Togashi, one of the Sakai masters honoured with the traditional craftsman award, which he received in 1991. The blades are White 1 carbon steel, which gives the sharpest edge among the commonly available Japanese carbon steels and is very easy to sharpen.

As a carbon steel line, these blades will patina and need to be dried after use, which is simply part of living with a traditional single bevel knife. In return you get an edge that bites and comes back easily on a waterstone, which is why many working chefs still choose White steel for sashimi work.

Each knife comes on an octagonal ebony wa handle with a black buffalo horn ferrule and end cap. The line spans yanagiba in 270 and 300mm, sakimaru takobiki in 270 and 300mm, and kiritsuke yanagiba in 270 and 300mm. A serious choice for professional sushi chefs and collectors of named-smith blades.