A renowned smith from Sakai-city, Kikuchiyo (a pseudonym) apprenticed for over two decades before taking over the master’s forge upon his retirement a few years ago. One of the most impressive traits of his working style is that he is not only fast in production but he is also one of the few remaining smiths in Sakai that can forge Honyaki blades, a technique of forging that yields knives with beautiful Hamon lines and exquisite hardness.

Manzo is the pseudonym for a sharpener hailing from Sakai, a city known for its prestigious sharpeners of single bevel knives. He was trained under the sole sharpener for a legendary bladesmith who produced some of the rarest and most illustrious Honyaki blades. Manzo’s consistent ura sharpening embodies the hallmark of what constitutes a great single bevel knife. His blades feel more heavy on the balance than, say, our Togashi Tachi line. 

A Deba is a traditional Japanese fish fileting/butchery knife that is single-sided/beveled. Despite its Santoku-like profile, it does not perform well on dense produce; however, it excels in deboning various fish, thanks to its weight and bevel shape. The technique of using a deba is quite different from using a flexible fileting knife (Western style fish deboning), but in practiced hands, both styles can yield very good results. We recommend a deba for any cook looking to get better at fileting fish and sharpening a single bevel knife in Japanese fashion.

Brand: Hitohira ひとひら
Blacksmith: Kikuchiyo 菊千代
Producing Area: Sakai-Osaka/ Japan
Profile: Deba
Size: 195mm
Steel: Yasuki Blue (Aogami) #2, Soft Iron Clad
Handle: Ho Wood & Buffalo Horn Ferrule Octagonal
Total Length: 355mm
Edge Length: 200mm
Handle to Tip Length: 215mm
Blade Height: 58mm
Thickness: 8.1mm
Handle Length: 139mm
Weight: 423g
Hand Orientation: Right-Handed
Come with Saya
Sharpener: Manzo