What is a tojiro yanagiba knife?

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mari23

Assistant Cook
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Nov 25, 2010
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What is a tojiro yanagiba knife? Where can I purchase a quality product? My friend would like one ( I want to get it for him as a x-mas gift). I just dont want to disappoint him.
 
Tojiro is a brand of Japanese knife, they have a very good reputation for providing value for money products.
A yanagiba is a Japanese fish knife. Commonly called a sashimi knife.

As for getting one, that does depend on where you live.

What blade length you want is dependant on how large a fish is he planning to cut up. Plate sized fish can be done with a ~200mm blade, but for larger fish a 240mm or 300mm blade will make life a lot easier.
 
As the OP hasn't returned I wonder if we adequately answered the question? I feel I should point out the a traditional single bevel knife like an yanagi-ba is created in different versions for left-handers and right-handers. Be sure to order the correct one or he'll have a heck of a time using it correctly. A single bevel knife is generally sold semi-sharpened; the knife must be "opened" (the term used to describe the initial bevel creation, polishing of the blade road and creating of the cutting edge). A Tojiro intended for sale in the West may be fully sharped, I honestly couldn't tell you.

If your friend is cutting a lot of boneless, raw fish the yanagi may be a great choice, provided he's comfortable sharpening it. A sujihiki would probably be more user friendly (it's similar to a Western carving/slicing knife). I initially assumed that you knew what you wanted and merely wondered where to get one. Then I reread and noticed that you asked what one was...

If you have any questions beyond this feel free to ask.
 
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