Perpetual Motion Yanagiba 228mm

This extraordinary object of culinary might is the result of a collaboration between bladesmith and artisan Don Nguyen, maker of the finished piece, and Jason Morrissey, renowned mosaic damascus artist and creator of the blade’s steel. Jason has spent over two decades crafting and teaching metalsmithing and glass blowing, and it is the latter with which he credits many of his head-turning damascus patterns. During his tenure teaching at the Maine College of Art, his work was published in at least 20 international books. So, when a talented bladesmith and culinary knifemaker like Arizona’s Don Nguyen ends up with a piece of Jason’s storied steel, no ordinary build will do. For this project, Don selects a form for which he holds a depth of experience, and great respect: the sushi chef’s yanagiba. This high precision, single-bevel tool requires the utmost care to create, and Don pulls no punches as he designs and crafts the one-of-a-kind knife seen here. The 228mm / 9″ blade delivers a primary bevel on the right face with concave ura on the left face, the configuration required of a right-handed chef. Meticulously honed and highly refined at every point, from the razor-sharp, near zero edge, to the paper-thin, needle-like tip, the blade is designed for a singular purpose: slicing of the most coveted ingredients with the least disturbance to their cellular structure. And all in a size suited to both the home butcher block, where space can be limited, and the chef’s omakase kitchen alike. For unwavering control over the artful blade is a handle equally as handsome. Black paper micarta, carbon fiber, and shredded carbon fiber infused with brass, come together to form a faceted, shield-style wa handle, secured by flush brass pins, and completed at the rear with a stainless retention bolt screw that allows for the handle’s removal in the case the care or maintenance are needed. Comfortable, balanced, and natural in the hand, the feeling of the Perpetual Motion Yanagiba will not be soon forgotten.