Vintage Sakai Motokame Yanagiba Knife 200mm Carbon Steel Magnolia Handle 2265

Experience Showa-Era Sakai Craftsmanship with Built-In Authentication

A genuine piece of mid-20th century Japanese cutlery history, this Vintage Sakai Motokame (堺元亀) Yanagiba 200mm is stamped, registered, and hot-branded with the workshop's official seal - a hallmark introduced by the Motokame family to protect against counterfeits during the knife's commercial peak across western Japan's fish markets and restaurant trade.

The Specs

• Steel: Japanese high-carbon steel
• Blade type: Yanagiba (single bevel, right-handed)
• Blade length: 200mm
• Handle: Magnolia wood (wa-style) with hot-branded official workshop seal
• Blade mark: Hand-chiseled or stamped 「元亀」 (Motokame)
• Brand: Sakai Motokame (堺元亀)
• Origin: Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, Japan
• Condition: Pre-owned, vintage
• SKU: 2265

Heritage

Sakai Motokame knives were a staple of Showa-era professional kitchens and fish markets throughout western Japan. The Motokame family workshop stamped every blade with the 「元亀」 mark and took the additional step of hot-branding the magnolia handles with an official registered trademark seal - 「商標 堺元亀 登録」 - allowing chefs to identify the knife immediately even when the blade was caked in water, oil, or clay during heavy fish market prep. The Yanagiba's long, slender single-bevel profile allows for a single drawing stroke through raw fish, producing glistening, tearless sashimi surfaces that are impossible to achieve with a double-bevel blade.

Care & Maintenance

• Hand wash only - never dishwasher
• Dry immediately after use to prevent rust
• Hone on the flat (ura) side only - single-bevel geometry
• Sharpen on Japanese water stones (1000/3000 grit)
• Store on a magnetic rack or in a knife roll - never loose in a drawer