Sashimi Sushi Knife

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what is the difference between white steel and Blue Steel in reference to sushi knives?

looking to buy a sashimi knife. what is the difference between white steel (1and2) and blue steel (1and2) in terms on characteristics. what gets sharper? what holds edge longer? basically any info on the pros and cons of each steel would be SO GREATLY APPRECIATED! thanks in advance to all who answer. i'm leaning towards white-2 steel for my first sashimi knife, started training on the sushi bar and need a new tool!

Actually that's pretty complicated, since there are 6 of them, 3 whites, 3 blue.
Plus multiple names, Shirogami 1, is same as white 1, shiro ichiko, shiroko 1, etc...
Aogami 1 is ao ko, ao ichi ko. Aogami 2 - Ao ni ko, aoko 2.
shirogami 3 is lower grade compared to Shiro 1 and 2, but there's no aogami 3, however there is Aogami Super which has highest edge holding ability of those 6.

Both are types of Hitashi YSS (Yasuki specialty steel) steels, specifically developed for cutlery. White and Blue have the highest purity levels, i.e. least amounts of Phosphorus and Sulfur which are essentially the contaminants for the cutlery alloys.
White and Blue are simply colors of the paper labels Hitachi uses.
More detailed information on all YSS steels can be found in Kitchen Knife steel FAQ's Carbon Steel section - http://www.zknives.com/knives/kitchen/misc/articles/kkchoser/kksteelp3.shtml

There's 3 versions of white and 3 of Blue. Japanese names would be Shirogami for white and Aogami for Blue, plus Gingami for yellow.

The main difference in between those steels is the addition of Tungsten(Wolfram) and Chromium to the alloy. Both are in small quantities, but increase wear resistance.
E.g. Aogami1 vs. Shirogami 1 steel composition comparison - http://www.zknives.com/knives/steels/steelgraph.php?nm=Aogami%201,Shirogami%201

Theoretically, the main difference is slightly more refined grain in Shirogami series, and increased wear resistance in Aogami series.
In simpler words, theoretically Shirogami will get sharper, but Aogami will last sharp longer.

Practically what happens is that, for one, you have to be Very Good at sharpening to reach the levels of the sharpness when you can tell the difference between those two steels. I'm sharpening my Japanese knives with whetstones up to 10000 grit and then proceed with diamond crystal microabrasives all the way up to 0.25 mic which is close to 100 000 grit. And then, I can tell that one is slightly sharper... Needless to say, if I screw up at any step of this multistage sharpening, the difference is lost.
Most of the people never go above 5000 grit, even if that. Obviously even the lab equipment won't tell much of a difference at those levels.
You might benefit a little more from increased wear resistance of the Blue steel if you are not maintaining the knife at very high levels of sharpness.
Practically, what is more important is the maker who makes it and how they forge and heat treat the knife. I have blue 1 Steel Knives from Watanabe and they get sharper and last longer than white steel from many other makers including Tadatsuna.
So, I'd say first, pick the maker, and then pick the steel.
As for the white 2, for sushi knives, or yanagibas, white 1, or Shirogami 1 is considered a better choice, Shiro 2 is a little less durable, but cheaper.

Bear in mind, both types of steel are non stain resistant and will discolor with use, and rust if proper care is not taken.

Few more sources to help you further:
Japanese knives terminology - http://www.zknives.com/knives/kitchen/misc/jpnktknvterms.shtml
Japanese Kitchen Knives reviews - http://zknives.com/knives/kitchen/ktknv/indexjpn.shtml

Tagged as: japanese, knife, knives, sashimi, sushi