Brand: Hitohira ひ と ひ ら (一片) 
 Blacksmith: Kikuchiyo 菊 千代
 Region: Sakai-Osaka 
 Profile: Gyuto 
 Steel type: Carbon (Oxidizable) 
 Steel: Yasuki Silver # 3 (Ginsan) 
 Handle: Rosewood and Black Buffalo Horn Ring 
 Blade length: 240mm 
 Finish: Tsuchime 
 Angle: Ambidextrous 
 Grinder: Kyuzo 久 蔵
 
 This item includes a custom-made Saya for this knife. 
 
 Technical detail 
 
 Kikuchiyo: 
 In the early 2000s, Kikuchiyo was invited by the master craftsman from Sakai to join them as a blacksmith. The art of blacksmithing is physical, the harsh working environment of fire and iron weighs heavily on the body, and many of the masters' abilities begin to fade in their forties and fifties. As Kikuchiyo started earlier in life, he acquired most of the knowledge and skills of fine forging and tempering, before his physical abilities deteriorated. 
 
 Kikuchiyo has proactively experimented with new steels that are generally not used by the Sakai blacksmith, steels such as stainless steel. His experience and skills have made his Ginsan knives (Silver 3) popular with Japanese chefs, with many saying "If you use Kikuchiyo Ginsan once, you will never replace it". Kikuchiyo is also known for its fine Honyaki temper, its beautiful Hamon and the hardness only achievable by experienced masters who reach the right temperature. His Honyaki is supported by many Sakai sharpeners and finishers, professionals who know what makes a good kitchen knife. When Kikuchiyo became a blacksmith, he dreamed of succeeding and becoming a great man. He continues to develop his skills as a craftsman, modeling each of his knives on the image of his master's forge. 
 
 
 Kyuzo: 
 Kyuzo's father Heihachi is one of Sakai's busiest sharpeners. Heihachi's workshop room and hallway were always full of knives ready to be sharpened. Although Kyuzo first worked with his father to learn the basics of coarse sharpening, he eventually became a student of Kambei, considered one of the best sharpeners of Sakai, because he knew how to sharpen large knives double bevel. After a few years of training, he built his style on the basis of the respective styles of his father and Kambei. Today, Kyuzo is one of the few people who can sharpen a wide double bevel with a very good Shinogi line in Sakai, one of the most difficult sharpening techniques.