Specifications

• Style: Usuba
• Length: 180mm (7.1″)
• Blade Steel Type: Yellow #3 iron-clad
• Handle Material: Magnolia wood and Buffalo horn ferrule
• HRC: 59
• Bevel Angle Ratio: Single
• Special Feature: Kasumi
• Cover: Not included

Blade & Handle

Sakai Takayuki Yellow Steel single-bevel knives are an exceptional value for those looking to dip their feet into traditional Japanese knives. Yellow steel is exceedingly easy to sharpen, though its edge retention is not as high as its white and blue steel counterparts.

Usuba Knife

Usuba means “thin blade” and true to this name, usuba is incredibly thin behind the edge. This is achieved by a very aggressive bevel from roughly halfway up the knife. These knives, like other single-bevel knives, are quite a bit thicker at the spine than their double-bevel counterparts, however. This means that these knives excel when performing cuts that utilize the beveled portion of the blade but when the cut transitions beyond the shoulder, significant wedging and steering occurs. These are the traditional “vegetable knives” in Japanese cuisine and are used for katsuramuki, sengiri, mukimono, and other knife cuts. Although they are called “vegetable cleavers” by many, it’s strongly recommended that non-professionals to get a Nakiri instead as a general-purpose vegetable knife.