Arrived a bit dull: Expected from most knives.

I sharped it on a whetstone, 1000 to 6000. It took me a bit to find the right angle and get the blade true across the whole length.

After sharpening for awhile and working out slight burrs, I started in on doing some test cuts. I tested it side by side with a recently sharpened Victorinox 8 inch chef knife. I tested them on a lemon just to get a good feel.

The chef's knife needed some pressure to get through lemon skin. The grip from the stainless steel tore apart the lemon insides a bit.

However, this knife made PAPER THIN slices of completely intact lemon. No gripping. No tearing. Weight of blade. No pressure.

Now, I don't know a ton about knives. But I do know that I'm super happy with this one, and can't wait to pick up some fish tomorrow for nigiri.

The saya is a great touch to boot.

HOWEVER! I see a lot of less than perfect reviews due to rust or too much maintenance. Carbon steel requires special care. Sharp, thin knives get dull faster. If you want a knife that will stay sharp for months and never rust regardless of how little you take care of it, get something else. If you want an amazingly sharp piece at a great price point, this looks like it.

Made our Oshogatsu (Japanese New Year's Celebration) much easier than in years past. Longer blade was very helpful in cutting larger blocks of Maguro, yet delicate enough to handle our Nihon no Hamachi with ease. Yes, higher carbon steel may corrode, rust but any instrument you may value, you take care of. Sashimi knives are made for cutting one thing and that is sashimi, raw fish. Great care after each use of a high carbon knife is easy and you should never leave these, especially a Kasumi wet after washing, nor for that matter put away while still wet. I will like purchase another knife from this craftsmen.

The knife is beautiful! Well executed classic Japanese shaping, grinding, and polishing. Out of the box, the blade is sharp and has performed well in some basic slicing (narrow blade as opposed to wide chefs takes some getting used to). Have a Deba from Yoshihiro and not only does it cut well, it performed like a champion on the water stones. Really looking forward to getting the Yanagi onto the stones. Oh, and an amazing price point. If one wants authentic Japanese cutlery (concave backside, single bevel on the other), Yoshihiro is definitely an option.

Beautiful knife. Single beveled as advertised, the steel is a fine quality. The blade is masterfully crafted and honed. It slices sashimi and cut rolls like nobody's business. A solid piece.

I've been using it for the last few months and haven't needed to do any edge work on it yet. Worth the money, worth every cent. You don't REALLY need to spend $500+ on a good knife. Yoshihiro has done it again. If you want good kitchen knives that aren't gimmicky (traditionalist here), look no further than Yoshihiro. Japanese knives will not fail you. You'll be sure to find any type of knife you need for under $200.

Don't spend money on weird knives with ergonomic handles and sub-zero forged with titanium core or whatever. You don't need any of that. Get a real knife. Get a traditionally-made piece like this.

I purchased this knife a couple of years ago now, along with a 210mm deba, so I have some time-depth perspective on its quality and usefulness. I had just begun using Japanese forged chef's knives around this time. This was a replacement knife for a much shorter no-name brand purchased in a Chinese market that wouldn't cut string.This 270mm knife arrived very sharp and I was quick to use it to prepare fresh salmon sashimi. I experienced an "ah ha" moment and this has become my favorite knife for slicing fish. It is so much more pleasurable preparing food when one has excellent tools.
As sharp as this beautiful blade was on arrival, I maintain it even keener with the help of a sink bridge and a series of Japanese water stones. I have also added several complementary knives during a wonderful trip to Japan last spring.
As a footnote: The cheap Chinese copy I started out with is useful again with a long water stone sharpening session.