Okishiba Masakuni 330mm honyaki yanagiba

Specifications

Okishiba Masakuni (d. 1990) was a legendary Japanese blacksmith from Sakai, known throughout Japan as the "God of Blades." He revolutionized culinary cutlery by adapting traditional swordsmithing techniques to create honyaki kitchen knives, and is credited with perfecting the "Mizumoto-yaki" firing method. Following a 17-year apprenticeship under his father, the respected bladesmith Okishiba Masatsugu, he established his own forge and quickly gained recognition for producing exceptional blades that commanded premium prices.

Okishiba was famously secretive about his craft, working in complete isolation—he never allowed anyone, including family members, into his workshop. His innovations in honyaki forging techniques have had a lasting impact on Japanese knife-making traditions. Tragically, his career was overshadowed by personal struggles with alcoholism, and he passed away from liver disease in 1990 without training successors or documenting his methods.

There's a common misconception that Genkai Masakuni (Yoneo Mukai) was Okishiba's apprentice. In fact, their connection was much briefer—Genkai had the opportunity to use Okishiba's former workspace during his own training period, where he gained valuable insights into honyaki forging that would later influence his approach to knife-making.

Today, authentic Okishiba honyaki blades are extraordinarily rare and valuable, with original pieces selling for tens of thousands of dollars, making them among the most sought-after kitchen knives in the world.

Details

• Blacksmith: Okishiba Masakuni
• Location: Sakai, Japan
• Construction Type: Mizuhonyaki
• Steel Category: Carbon
• Steel Type: Shirogami #2

Blade Specs

• Blade Length: 324mm
• Blade Height at Heel: 32mm
• Spine Thickness:
  • At the handle: 3.2mm
  • At the heel: 3.0mm
  • Midway: 2.4mm
  • 1cm from the tip: 0.7mm
• Weight: 143g