What should I do with this sashimi knife?

flatblackcapo

flatblackcapo

Joined
Mar 25, 2012
Messages
9,286
My neighbor gave this to me and I have been wondering what to do with it. It has some nasty chips in the edge. I have a 2x72 and gave some thought to regrinding it but grinding those big chips out is going to change the height of the blade....Whatcha think?


Specs:
OAL 19 1/4" - 490mm
Blade 13" - 330mm
Markings:
??? TOKYO. over MADE IN OCCUPIED JAPAN.

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Do NOT get it anywhere near a grinder. due to it's historical lineage I'd recommend
getting in touch with Jon Broida at Japanese knife Imports, to do a Professional Restoration.
https://www.japaneseknifeimports.com/
He has trained in Japan , He's pretty busy so it may take a while.
 
I second that you leave it alone until a qualified person has checked it out. Best to you with that blade :thumbsup:
 
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flatblackcapo said:
Thanks, Laurence.
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I sold a collection of Japanese Samurai swords & Tanto’s that were consigned to me from the Grandson of a Naval man that bought them there in Occupied Japan .. The Origami, Papers were drawn up at the Tokyo Library, they identified each maker & the period, time from which it was made. very interesting group of weapons.
 
Rhinoknives1 said:
I sold a collection of Japanese Samurai swords & Tanto’s that were consigned to me from the Grandson of a Naval man that bought them there in Occupied Japan .. The Origami, Papers were drawn up at the Tokyo Library, they identified each maker & the period, time from which it was made. very interesting group of weapons.
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Sounds like a interesting collection of blades. It must have been cool to be able to have them in your hands.
The neighbor that gave me this called it a sword and by the looks of the chips someone treated it as one. I can just imagine someone whacking at tree branches with it. :eek::(
 
flatblackcapo said:
Sounds like a interesting collection of blades. It must have been cool to be able to have them in your hands.
The neighbor that gave me this called it a sword and by the looks of the chips someone treated it as one. I can just imagine someone whacking at tree branches with it. :eek::(
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Some kid most likely that found it in dads or grandpas garage. LOL ...
 
That’s an interesting piece, FBC, and a cool score.

I guess it’s from 1945-1952 or thereabouts.

At that time Japan was just a cheap labour source, like Taiwan was and China is now.

The export grade knives were not of the same quality as knives made for the home market.

It looks kinda like a takobiki (octopus) knife.

It’s a single sided (kata-ha) grind yeah?

Does it have an urasuki on the back side (like a concave grind so if you were to lay it flat on a stone, only the very edges touch the stone)?

That might give you an idea of the quality. If it’s just flat, it’s just a quickie mass produced piece.

That’s not to say it’s not a decent knife, but the value would be more as a historical curiosity.

Very interesting though.

You can tell more by examining the edge of the chips and looking at the granular structure inside the cross section of the chips too, but I’ll wait to see what you say about the urasuki (or lack of one) before going into that.

PS - I like that sign in the background. Setting up your own biz, bro?
 
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Cambertree said:
That’s an interesting piece, FBC, and a cool score.

I guess it’s from 1945-1952 or thereabouts.

At that time Japan was just a cheap labour source, like Taiwan was and China is now.

The export grade knives were not of the same quality as knives made for the home market.

It looks kinda like a takobiki (octopus) knife.

It’s a single sided (kata-ha) grind yeah?

Does it have an urasuki on the back side (like a concave grind so if you were to lay it flat on a stone, only the very edges touch the stone)?

That might give you an idea of the quality. If it’s just flat, it’s just a quickie mass produced piece.

That’s not to say it’s not a decent knife, but the value would be more as a historical curiosity.

Very interesting though.

You can tell more by examining the edge of the chips and looking at the granular structure inside the cross section of the chips too, but I’ll wait to see what you say about the urasuki (or lack of one) before going into that.

PS - I like that sign in the background. Setting up your own biz, bro?
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Hey, Chin, thanks for sharing your thoughts on this knife.
It is a single sided RH chisel grind and just my luck I'm left handed. :rolleyes::D
I just checked with a straight edge and it does have a slight Urasuki grind.
About the sign, that is from a old bike shop that I worked at years ago.
 
flatblackcapo said:
Hey, Chin, thanks for sharing your thoughts on this knife.
It is a single sided RH chisel grind and just my luck I'm left handed. :rolleyes::D
I just checked with a straight edge and it does have a slight Urasuki grind.
About the sign, that is from a old bike shop that I worked at years ago.
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No worries, Kevin.:)

Ah that's a pity it's right handed then. I was lucky to get a lefty Yanagiba and Deba made by Kenichi Shiraki when I was in Sakai.

Regarding the chips, if they're not rusted over, it can be interesting to have a look at the cross section under magnification. It should look like densely evenly packed dark sand. It doesn't really tell you much about the steel if it's good, but it can show irregularities in steel that wasn't forged or heat treated properly.

Murray Carter told me that if you examine a chip in optimally heat treated steel, the very edge of the break on one side should have a tiny ridge you can feel with your fingernail, a bit like a burr, where the steel has just started to plastically deform, then chipped out. Apparently it shows that the balance of toughness and strength was just right.

If the break is completely clean edged, like glass, it supposedly demonstrates the the steel was overhardened.

It'll be interesting to hear what an expert thinks of it. It's certainly a cool conversation piece as is.
 
Cambertree said:
No worries, Kevin.:)

Ah that's a pity it's right handed then. I was lucky to get a lefty Yanagiba and Deba made by Kenichi Shiraki when I was in Sakai.

Regarding the chips, if they're not rusted over, it can be interesting to have a look at the cross section under magnification. It should look like densely evenly packed dark sand. It doesn't really tell you much about the steel if it's good, but it can show irregularities in steel that wasn't forged or heat treated properly.

Murray Carter told me that if you examine a chip in optimally heat treated steel, the very edge of the break on one side should have a tiny ridge you can feel with your fingernail, a bit like a burr, where the steel has just started to plastically deform, then chipped out. Apparently it shows that the balance of toughness and strength was just right.

If the break is completely clean edged, like glass, it supposedly demonstrates the the steel was overhardened.

It'll be interesting to hear what an expert thinks of it. It's certainly a cool conversation piece as is.
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Unfortunately, Chin, there is rust / corrosion on the chipped areas. I still need to send a email to Jon Broida at Japanese Knife Imports as O OldNavy suggested. I don't really have a use for the knife but, if it is worth it, I would like to fix it and give it to someone that will put it to work.


KenHash said:
Deja vu.....from 2 months ago? lol

https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/sushi-knife.1675387/#post-19160432
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Haha, yeah. I was hoping to get more info on the repair aspect.
 
flatblackcapo said:
Unfortunately, Chin, there is rust / corrosion on the chipped areas. I still need to send a email to Jon Broida at Japanese Knife Imports as O OldNavy suggested.
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No worries Kevin. If you find anything more out about it, I’d be interested hear an update.:thumbsup:

flatblackcapo said:
I don't really have a use for the knife but, if it is worth it, I would like to fix it and give it to someone that will put it to work.
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Good stuff, yeah if it turns out that you refurbish it, I’d just grind the whole flat back, keeping the same angle, using a coarse stone. I’d avoid powered belts.

Huh? But whatcha gonna use to slice your octopus with then, lol?!:D:)

A sushi joint in Yanasen, Tokyo:
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And a stall at the annual Seki Blade festival, making the popular octupus street snack, Takoyaki:
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But seriously, it’d make a nice ham slicer/carving knife for a righty.

Whoever you give it to will surely be over the moon with such a cool knife.:thumbsup::cool:
 
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I think it's a tough call as to what to do with that knife. Obviously you can take out the chips, lose some height, but is it worth the effort?
The Takobiki which translates to "Octopus slicer" isn't a specific knife for slicing Octopus. It's just the name.
It is the Kanto (Eastern Japan) version of the better known Sashimi slicer - Yanagiba of Kansai (Western Japan). So it is used in the same way, mostly slicing fish. In this day and age it's simply a matter of personal preference as to what an Itamae (ie; sushi chef) uses. The Takobiki has less height than an equivalent length Yanagiba, as well as less weight. I've heard that the design was the creation of the founder of Masamoto Souhonten back in whenever. Jon Broida mentioned that he heard the profile difference goes back to a difference in Western and Eastern Japan involving whether the knife was used sitting or standing. I'm not sure if it has any value from a militaria point of view as it was made in post WWII Japan as well as being a cooking knife. It's a shame that the maker's name has worn off to that extent, as it would be interesting to try and track it down. It probably has historical value though although it may be at least another 30 years for that to materialize.
As suggested, I think you might as well as sharpen it and use it as a carver for the holiday ham or turkey.
 
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