Edge length confusion

Just rec'd my lefty usuba from Watanabe. He made it to order, supposed to be a 210 and on the box he wrote "210" but the spine tip-to-choil is 196mm and the cutting edge length is 190mm.... This is a little shorter than I was wanting.

Does he measure 210s as tip-to-machi or something? did he send/make me a 195mm?

He seems so on-top-of-it and awesome correspondence-wise so I wanted to check with y'all before asking him since it could come across as accusatory.

I don't know where Watanabe san measures from, but it's not uncommon to measure from the machi. Either way I would double check with him and just confirm you got the knife you spoke about.

Traditional single bevel knives with machi, e.g. yanagiba, usuba, are measured from machi to tip for their length. Traditional single bevel knives without machi e.g. deba (with an exception of Shigefusa deba that I know of), are measured from heel to tip. That's how Japanese usually do it anyway.

Your Watanabe usuba size sounds normal.

Watanabe measures from the machi for usuba. See the following link: http://www.kitchen-knife.jp/pro/pro.htm

How to measure Japanese blade length:
Gyuto, Deba, petite, Unagisaki, Nakkiri, Aideba and ... don't have Machi. The how to measure is blade like western knives.
On the other hand, Yanagi, Usuba, Takohiki, Mioroshi, Hamokiri, Kiritsuke and ... have Machi. Then you measure from Machi to top.
The picture for measure

Click to expand...

My kensaki Yanagi and sakimaru takobiki are the same

Alright, sounds like he did what he meant to. Damn, wish I knew that before I ordered. Still a beautiful knife though. <3 Watanabe

I also checked my Toyama 135mm mukimono I recently got as he and Watanabe have some history together… 124 heel to tip and about 137 machi to tip