Last one we'll be able to get until December, and LAST one at this price, owing to the weak dollar.

Without a doubt, this is by far the finest knife we've ever sold, and despite its hefty price tag, a true bargain in the process, fully on par with knives I've used and tested costing $5000-$7000. In all likelihood, this is NOT for you unless you are a serious collector or are a working master sushi chef with years of experience in maintaining a super-premium blade. It is nothing short of a samurai sword for the kitchen and in untrained hands is fully capable of cutting your fingers off. It is so keenly edged that in the event that did actually happen, you probably wouldn't notice for a while.

To say the least, this RAZOR sharp yanagi has everything going for it one could ask from a knife and much, much more. It's a presentation-grade piece, made with an octagonal ebony handle, hafted in genuine natural black horn, and perfectly fitted with a custom ebony saya, which locks at the bolster with an ebony pin. It measures 17.75" long with 12" blade and comes to you brand new, never used, in its original box with special wooden presentation box and brocaded silk sleeve, with sash for safe storage in a place of honor. By far, though, all of that is secondary. The star of THIS show is the blade. Made from BLUE carbon (Aoko) damascus steel (hassoko), it's hand-forged in an incredibly labor-intensive technique that is more art-form than skill. Steel for these blades is batched individually to permit the master bladesmith the utmost in control. In the process, two different types of carbon steel are hammered together: jigane is the softer of the two, whose flexibility and ease of sharpening are ideal for supporting the area around the edge. Hagane jigane is the second steel, prized for its hardness, and comprises the edge itself. The resulting damascus patterning is intensely beautiful but that beauty is merely a by-product of creating the finest possible edge, not the primary purpose, as is too often the case in less expensive damascus steels, which barely qualify as such. [Note: some of the digital pix have been enhanced to highlight the graining in the damsascus pattern--they look darker than the actual knfie.] So keen is the edge resulting from this process, that if you drop a piece of paper onto the edge from above, it will slice it deeply. This knife will provide 5-10 years of constant professional use in even the most demanding kitchen, and if you are someone whose profession requires the use of such a knife, you know the value of that kind of quality. More importantly, though, if you're using a knife like this to create works of culinary art, you already know the value of the finest possible tools. Won't you just FEEL better while you work when you're using the finest possible tools?

Here in the USA, you may or may not have heard of Kikuichi knives before (their logo is the Chrysanthemum), but the company has been producing some of Japan's finest quality kitchen and sushi knives for well over a century, and was producing some of the finest quality samurai swords for over 700 years before that. To say the least, they have a tradition of excellence. When Japan's Meiji revolution of modernity forced the family that continues to run the company to shift gears and sword-making became forbidden, their product line changed but their artistic attention to detail did not, as this knife plainly shows. To this day, every Kikuichi knife is truly a work of art in steel and wood, a quantum leap above and beyond western knives costing far more. Throughout the world, Kikuichi weapons are widely collected at top dollar and as Americans come to know these fine kitchen knives, I have little doubt that they, too, will be highly prized by collectors, connoisseurs of quality and discerning users alike. In terms of the quality of their hand-forged carbon steel blades, or in the craftsmanship with which they are assembled, you will find NONE finer. This is not just hype. I've used and tested some of the most esoteric kitchen knives on the planet, with some damascus knives costing many thousands of dollars, and Kikuichi knives are consistently out-performing knives that cost MUCH more. Having said all that, it's important to recognize that even for Kikuichi, this knife is special.

Whether you know the maker or not, THIS is one of the very finest knives ever made, and whether you're buying it for yourself or for some VERY lucky loved one on your list, you may bid with confidence. We fully guarantee your satisfaction with it and you may return it--unused--for any reason. An heirloom-quality piece for the serious connoisseur.

A FEW SPECIAL TERMS OF THIS SALE: 1. We will not ship the item to any paypal address that is not confirmed. 2. We will accept money orders only if they come from the U.S. Post Office. 3. We will accept a personal or cashier check but will hold shipment for ONE FULL MONTH following deposit. 4. There is no local pickup nor inspection, nor will we reduce the price of this knife by one cent--please save your time and do not ask. Shipping is free and we're fully guaranteeing your satisfaction with it, so there is absolutely no risk involved.

Check out our other auctions on ebay to see MANY similar items, new and vintage. And be SURE to visit my Store for an even greater selection of excellent vintage cutlery and related items for the professional chef or serious amateur. Remember, store items WON'T appear in ebay searches, so the only way to see them is to just click on the "Store" price-tag logo or on our store name to see some of the finest knives and other related goodies on ebay!

Please email any questions and PLEASE read our terms prior to bidding. By bidding you certify that you are at least 18 years of age--we do NOT sell to minors. All images and descriptions are copyrighted, and we aggressively pursue legal remedy as well as ebay's rules against plagiarizing them--it's stealing, it's wrong, and you WILL be caught. All items come from a smoke-free home with no pets unless otherwise indicated.

SHIPPING: Insured shipping anywhere in USA is FREE. We will do whatever we can to minimize your shipping costs on multiple purchases, and in most cases, combining multiple wins will save BIG, often shipping two or more items for the cost of one. In order to streamline the process, we will provide a flat, upfront shipping rate in our auctions whenever possible for all U.S. buyers. Keep in mind that our prices for shipping in USA always INCLUDE insurance unless otherwise stated (after a rash of lost packages, we now require all US shipments to be insured unless otherwise stated in the auction--sorry, no exceptions to this.) We ship on Wednesdays and Saturdays; if you have special needs, please email prior to bidding. Items lost or damaged in transit require buyer to file U.S. Post Office or UPS insurance claim. I will gladly ship you the insurance receipt and the shipping receipt necessary to file.

INTERNATIONAL: Int'l buyer pays $19.99 to most countries on Earth and INCLUDE insurance.

LOCAL: We aren't set up to allow local pickup of ebay merchandise, so if you're in the Los Angeles area, please factor shipping into your bid strategy.

PAYMENT: Payment must be received within ten (10) days of auction's close. We reserve the right to relist any item for which payment has not been received in 10 days. As a convenience to our customers, we are still accepting personal checks (despite several rubber ones in recent months), but items paid for by personal check will be held for no less than 10 business days AFTER DEPOSIT to clear, and we cannot necessarily deposit on the day your check is received. Therefore, unless you do not mind a DELAY UP TO ONE MONTH from the date you mail your check, please consider other means of payment. Visa / Mastercard/American Express/Discover gladly accepted via www.paypal.com.

ATTENTION HOTMAIL USERS!!! (and other web-based email users!) We FREQUENTLY have problems contacting buyers who use a hotmail email address, since the company recently shrunk the size of your allowable storage. Other web-based companies often filter our attempts to contact you with a spam filter. It is YOUR responsibility to maintain an address that is reachable at all times. If your email comes back to us 3 times, we will report the problem to ebay via a non-paying bidder alert.

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Terms of Auction
We will contact you within three days with a total based upon your registered ebay address. If you have not heard from us in three days, please check our ebay store for announcements, which we will use in the event of emergency.

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