Toki 165mm Blue #2 Migaki Mioroshi Deba

The Toki, or Crested Ibis, is an endangered species, once common in the Niigata area. Featuring white plumage on its body and a red head, the bird has been a part of Japanese folklore for generations. As this series is made in Sanjo, Niigata, the name Toki has significance. These knives are made by hand in a medium-sized workshop, focused on making user-friendly knives. Their knives tend to be a medium thickness, not super thin, but not like a super thick workhorse. The wide bevel designs work well for food release. We love burnt chestnut handles, and because they also come from Sanjo, the series features octagonal burnt chestnut handles with water buffalo ferrules.

Mioroshi Deba are single-bevel knives used for breaking down and slicing fish. They combine the functionality of yanagiba and deba and, therefore, make compromises for each individual task. Thinner than a deba, but thicker than a yanagiba, they are really fun to use on softer boned fish like salmon. This is a right-handed knife. This series of Toki knives features a blue #2 (carbon steel) core with soft carbon cladding. Carbon steel knives (clad with stainless or not) do require some additional care, making sure to keep them clean and dry when not in use, and wiping periodically when cutting acidic foods. We recommend Flitz to clean off any light rust (or patina, if you don't like it) as soon as you see it. Blue #2 steel is known for good edge retention while still being easy to sharpen. We have some videos on knife skills with a deba here (specifically videos 4-84).