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. 

White #3 is a high quality carbon steel that will take a very refined edge with less effort and time than other carbon steels (i.e. will take less than other carbon steels from the same smith and sharpener duo). It is also very reasonably priced for a carbon steel knife. Initiates and experienced users of carbon steel single bevel knives who prefer a heavier feeling knife in the hand need to look no further than the Kikuchiyo Manzo White #3.

A Deba is a traditional Japanese fish filleting/butchery knife that is single-sided/bevelled. 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 filleting 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 filleting 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: 165mm
Steel: Yasuki White (Shirogami) #3, Soft Iron Clad
Handle: Ho Wood & Buffalo Horn Ferrule Right-Handed D-Shape
Hand Orientation: Right-Handed
Sharpener: Manzo