Damascus Brook Yanagiba 460mm

Few artisans can accomplish what Casey Vilensky has done in the creation of this extraordinary chef’s tool. Forged by hand at his North Vancouver studio for the uncompromising sashimi chef, Casey delivers a single bevel yanagiba built for a right-handed user with a razor-sharp edge that extends outwards for a mere 460mm, or just over 18 inches. In any material this is considered an impressive feat, and Casey meets the challenge not with just any steel, but with his own house-made carbon damascus formed from 1084 and 15n20 alloys, hardened to completion at 62 HRC on the Rockwell scale. The beautifully etched and polished pattern revealed throughout the blade meanders like a lazy stream through the short tang, along the shinogi which separates flat from bevel on the blade’s front side, down a spine which begins with a width of 5.7mm before tapering to a needle-like tip, and with bold, high-contrast character through the back-side’s concave urasuki. The melding of the two steels only works to accentuate the precise and remarkable purpose-specific geometry. In the hands of a practitioner, the balance, weight, and control afforded by a blade of this size and exactness are unparalleled. To wield the cutting edge with a unique beauty that matches both blade and its maker, exquisite Hawaiian Koa is matched with densely layered Fordite to form a traditional wa-style, hidden-tang handle which tapers slightly from back to front and fills the hand with indescribable pleasure.