Name: Furaibo Kakugata Usuba Shirogami #2 180mm - BLADE Fresh Stock
SKU: SK0051342-US20260107-101548
Availability: InStock

Furaibo 風来坊 – vagabond, wanderer
a person who wanders from place to place without a fixed home: one leading a vagabond life.

Just like a vagabond wanders the earth without rest, seasons flow into each other and bring change on their way. The sun shines and turns to rain, wind blows past us and we weather the storms, nature perpetuating itself. And in the same steady flow, tradition and convention progress slowly and either give way to new ideas and inventions or reinforce the established status quo.

Centuries of Japanese tradition of sword and blade manufacturing have allowed for such natural processes to play out and birthed many iterations of different blade shapes, sizes and materials they forged them from. Japanese kitchen knives serve as a sort of time capsule, preserving this spirit of excellence and tradition, and the blacksmiths, acting as amber around fossilized remnants of history, passing them to the next generations to keep them alive.

With our previous designs and collaborations with Japanese blacksmiths, we focused heavily on multi-purpose knives to fit the needs of the contemporary chef. We felt that the next move should be a step in the opposite direction, focusing instead on the truly quintessential knives that showcase both the masterful craftsmanship and a rich culinary tradition those contemporary knife shapes were later built on.

Furaibo Usuba, ever wandering from recipe to recipe, is forged from Shirogami #2, one of the purest and most traditional steels used in Japanese knife manufacturing. The blade’s finish was kept within the confines of the Japanese concept of negative space (ma 間)* and given a sleek polished migaki look, and a kasumi finish on the kireha. Adorned with a hand-chiseled kanji, three symbols, one word – vagabond.

*the Japanese concept of ma or negative space is a philosophy that guides their approach to design, as well as other, everyday things – the core belief being that absence can be just as important as presence.

BLADE SHAPE:
Usuba in Japanese means thin, which is an appropriate description of this knife designed for preparing vegetables, where a thin blade is very important. When cutting firm vegetables such as carrots, it is important that the blade cuts, not split, as can often happen with thicker knives.

Kakugata refers to the specific rectangular shape of this knife – kaku means square in Japanese. The single bevel blade enables precise chopping of vegetables on the kitchen board, and due to its height and straight edge, it can also be used for peeling larger tuberous vegetables, such as daikon, into long and thin slices. This process is called “katsuramuki” and is one of the most difficult and complex Japanese cutting techniques.

STEEL:
Shirogami #2 is a traditional high-carbon steel in Japanese knife manufacturing, and #2 is the most frequently used Shirogami steel. Due to its high carbon content, it can reach a hardness of over 60 HRC, which means that blades forged from it will have excellent edge retention. The blades will sharpen easily and will be able to achieve a very fine sharpness, owing to the steel’s very pure composition. For the same reason, the steel isn’t corrosion resistant and the blade will develop a protective patina over time. Therefore, it’s recommended you wipe the blade dry between and after use and oil it regularly. Learn more about knife maintenance and patina on our blog!

LAMINATION:
Ni-mai lamination method is used on single-bevel knives, where a sheet of softer metal is forge-welded onto the shinogi (front) side of the blade’s hard core. This reinforces the blade’s structural integrity and consequently makes it tougher.

GEOMETRY:
It has a single bevel blade and a concave primary angle (the surface below the shinogi line).

BLADE FINISH:
This knife sports a minimalistic migaki finish, meaning the blade has been polished. The kireha, or “blade road” is adorned with a matte kasumi finish that marks the transition between the jigane (softer outer layer of steel) and hagane or the blade’s hard core.

HANDLE:
This knife is without a handle, so you can fit your own! Browse our selection of handles and create your own, custom-looking knife! If you would like that we fit the selected handle to the blade for you, select Handle fitting service when adding the blade to the cart.