Brand: Hitohira ひ と ひ ら (一片) 
 Blacksmith: Togashi Blacksmith 富 樫 打 刃 物 製作 所
 Region: Sakai-Osaka 
 Profile: Gyuto 
 Steel type: Carbon (Oxidisable) 
 Steel: Honyaki Yasuki (Shirogami) # 1 
 Handle: Khaki wood and Amber buffalo horn 
 Blade length: 240mm 
 Grinder: Kyuzo 久 蔵
 Handle manufacturer: Taihei 太平
 Date of Manufacture: July 2020 (No. 21) 
 
 This item includes the custom made Saya for this knife. 
 
 Technical Detail 
 
 Kyuzo: 
 Kyuzo's dad, Heihachi, is one of Sakai's busiest sharpeners. Heihachi's workshop and hallway were always filled with knives ready to be sharpened. Although Kyuzo initially worked with his father to learn the basics of coarse sharpening, he eventually became a pupil of Kambei, considered one of Sakai's best sharpeners, as he was better at sharpening large knives. double bevel. After a few years of training, he built his style based on 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. 
 
 Togashi-San is the blacksmith behind this magnificent blade. One of 25 certified traditional artisans in the region, he began forging blades since the age of 19, in 1967. Sharpener and polisher Yohei-San, also a certified traditional craftsman in the region, has learned sharpened the double-edged knife under the direction of one of the best sharpeners in the Sakai region. 
 
 Most Japanese knives are made like a 'sandwich', a very hard steel core covered on each side with softer steel. Hard steel is what makes a Japanese knife sharper and keeps its edge longer than other knives. Mild steel acts as a shock absorber to protect harder steel from damage. This is the common way of making a knife in Japan, but there is an older and more romantic way of making a knife, the honyaki. 
 
 Less than 1% of knives in Japan are forged honyaki. Making a honyaki knife is like making a katana. The knife is made from one piece of steel and heat treated so that the edge is very hard and sharp for a very long time. The knife's spine, although the same piece of steel, is softer and protects the blade from breaking. 
 
 You can refer to the article '' steel '' to know a little more about this type of knife, Honyaki.