The Kirisuke Yanagiba has a very similar blade profile to the ‘regular’ Yanagiba, but it has what is commonly known as a 'reverse tanto' tip, or ‘clipped point’, which is very useful for precision cutting. Apart from this difference, the Kirisuke Yanagiba functions in the same way as the ‘plain' Yanagiba or the Takohiki.

Some knife makers use the names Kengata Yanagi and Kensaki Yanagaiba to describe this type of knife, and although they may have once been distinct variations, most current offerings have very similar blade geometry.