Sakai Kikumori Kikuzuki Uzu 270mm. Yanagiba - Blue#1

Sakai Kikumori was started in 1926 by Kawamura Hamono, and since then has become known as a top brand from Sakai. They are a relatively small brand but work with some of the very best local craftsmen in Sakai such as Yoshikazu Tanaka, Satoshi Nakagawa and Keichi Fuji just to name a few.

The knife is forged by the legendary Yoshikazu Tanaka, who is recognized as one of the best blacksmiths in Sakai with over 50 years of experience. Tanaka works with his son in the forge where he focuses exclusively on working with white and blue carbon steel, which he does to perfection with traditional methods such as pine charcoal and rice straw during hardening.

The grinder is one of our good friends, Keiichi Fujii, who is a 3rd generation master grinder with more than 50 years of experience. He started his career helping his grandfather in the workshop when he was a child and has recently focused on teaching his craft to the younger generation.