Hitohira is our brand new supplier that has been absolutely killing it. The president, Mr. Hokuto Aizawa, has traveled the world in his mid-20s and saw firsthand how Japanese kitchen knives are adored throughout the northern hemisphere and decided to make the products even more accessible. Now, Hitohira brings many new and old favourites back into our shelves with consistency, making our clients even happier. 

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. 

Rikichi is the pseudonym for a young blade-shaper/sharpener recently trained from an illustrious sharpening house in Sakai. His tutelage focuses on doing many knives at a steadfast and acceptable quality rather than chasing limited quantities of extremely finely polished blades.

Because Rikichi’s reputation is not as well known as other experienced sharpeners, this is reflected in the very reasonable price point. Silver #3 steel performs similarly to carbon steel without the burden of rust management, making these an excellent choice for those looking for their first deba. These are also great for those who work in busy kitchens with high volumes of fish to process and limited breaks to clean your knife.

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: 150mm
Steel: Yasuki Silver #3 (Ginsan), Soft Stainless Clad
Handle: Ho Wood & Buffalo Horn Ferrule Octagonal
Total Length: 287mm
Edge Length: 151mm
Handle to Tip Length: 165mm
Blade Height: 48mm
Thickness: 6mm
Handle Length: 122mm
Weight: 228g
Hand Orientation: Right-Handed
Sharpener: Rikichi