The takobiki was originally designed and crafted by the founder of Masamoto Sohonten, Minosuke Matsuzawa. It serves as the Kanto region (Tokyo) variation of the yanagi knife, and is used to slice boneless fish fillets into sashimi. There are rumors that centuries ago when chefs prepared sashimi in front of their guests, it was considered disrespectful to point the sword-like yanagi at their customers, especially nobility. For this reason older restaurants in Tokyo continue to use the takobiki instead of yanagi knives to this day. Its thin body makes cutting thin slices of fish easier than the yanagi. Takobiki means `octopus cutter,’ as to how the blunt tip and balanced weight works well on difficult ingredients such as octopus. Originated in Kanto (Tokyo) region.