Mr. Fujiwara makes the complete knife from start to finish. For the blade, he uses a proprietary #1 white high carbon steel (1.5%) called Izuha-kou forged laminated to wrought iron. The blade is then hardened to Rockwell 64-65 and attached to a magnolia wood handle. Each knife is fully sharpened to a razor edge. Mr. Fujiwara makes this knife for professional chefs through out Japan. Blade length is 14", and overall length is 20½" A magnolia wood scabbard is included.