Yanagiba & Takobiki

Yanagi-ba (literally "willow blade knife") and Takobiki (literally "octopus slicer") are typical of Japanese sushi and sashimi knives. The long blade is designed to produce thin, even cuts of meat. Unlike Western knives, this blade is designed to be pulled toward the user during the cut.

The long, thin blade cuts meat in a single-pull stroke without any back-and-forth motion. This prevents zig-zag cutting, giving a cut surface that is very smooth. The back face of the blade has a slight hollow grind that peels the meat apart as it is cut to prevent bruising or loss of juices.

In Western Kitchens, this knife excels as a carving knife. The smooth-faced slices of meat it creates retain more juices and have exceptional flavour. Takobiki are much the same geometry as Yanagiba, with the exception of the square tip so as to avoid damaging octopus during food preparation.