Yanagiba is a Japanese sushi and sashimi knife. The name translates as "willow leaf". As the name suggests, yanagiba has a narrow and long blade, usually from 21 to 33 cm. With such a knife, it is easy and convenient to cut off the thinnest pieces of fillet. Traditionally, yanagiba is a single bevel knife. Therefore, left-handed people should buy a yanagiba knife with a sharpening on the other side, especially for left-handed. If you prefer double beveled japanese knives, like traditional slicers, we recommend buying a sujihiki knife.
Historically, yanagiba is made of high-carbon steels, such as, for example, aogami and shirogami. High-carbon steels are easy to sharpen. A sharp blade is mandatory for a sushi knife, because the perfect sharpening allows you to preserve the structure of the product. Since knives made of high-carbon steel are susceptible to corrosion, they need to be washed only by hand and wiped dry immediately after use. However, recently many Japanese manufacturers began to manufacture yanagiba knives of stainless steel. Such sushi knives require less care, but more frequent sharpening. As a rule, yanagiba knives are equipped with traditional Japanese octagon or D-shape handles. Usually the handles are made of natural wood, for example, magnolia. However, some manufacturers produce yanagiba knives with more hygienic handles made of plastic or rubber. All sushi knives have long enough non-slip handles, allowing you to comfortably hold them with and without gloves.
It is recommended to use Japanese whetstones to sharpen yanagiba knives. To prevent the blade from being damaged during storage and transportation, you can use a special japanese wooden case – saya. Before buying a saya, we recommend asking our consultants to try on the saya case for the selected knife. Since both Japanese kitchen knives and saya cases are mostly handmade, the scabbard may not fit.
If you want to cut fish or other products into the thinnest pieces, buying a yanagiba knife will be the best solution.
