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When Michael Janich designed his first knife for Spyderco nearly 20 years ago, most personal-defense knives featured traditional blade profiles, such as spear points, Americanized tantos, and variations of the Bowie style. Janich's design—the first-generation Ronin fixed blade—challenged this convention and effectively pioneered the concept of the "tactical Wharncliffe." Today, Wharncliffe-style tactical knives are ubiquitous, but the origins of this trend can be traced directly back to Janich's early designs and Spyderco's willingness to embrace them.
The original Ronin (literally "wave man" in Japanese, a term for a masterless Samurai) began as a collaboration with custom knifemaker Mike Snody. Janich had written an article about Snody's knives, which became the catalyst for Snody to transition into full-time knife making. As a gesture of gratitude, Snody invited Janich to design "the ultimate neck knife," which he would craft as a custom blade. Although Janich had previously designed other knives, including the Tempest folder for the Masters of Defense knife company, he was determined to approach this design process with a fresh, empirical perspective.
He had already begun incorporating a demonstration called "Pork Man" into his knife self-defense courses to illustrate the cutting capabilities of small knives. Pork Man—a hefty pork roast tied around a wooden dowel and wrapped in multiple layers of plastic—not only showcased the cutting power of typical carry knives but also quantified the significant performance differences between various blade shapes.
To determine which blade styles delivered the greatest cutting effectiveness, Janich invested a considerable amount in pork roasts, crafted an army of Pork Men, and began cutting. To his surprise, among all the knives in his collection, the ones that performed best were a pair of Frank Centofante-designed "gentlemen's" folders from Spyderco featuring classic Wharncliffe-style blades (the C25 and C50).
As Janich delved deeper, he discovered that the secret to the Wharncliffe blades lay in their perfectly straight edges, which cut with full power all the way to the point. In contrast, the cutting power of blades with upward-curving edges and significant "belly" diminishes near the tip. The Wharncliffe’s needle-like point also penetrates almost effortlessly during thrusts. Despite their elegant appearance, Wharncliffes are formidable cutting and thrusting tools.
Equipped with this knowledge, the Ronin design Janich presented to Snody was purely Wharncliffe. Initially, Snody was not enthusiastic and began to reconsider his offer. However, after he crafted one and tested it, he was thoroughly impressed. Ultimately, he not only produced several custom Ronins but also shifted the focus of his own knife designs to emphasize Wharncliffe blades.
Around the same time (1999), Spyderco founder Sal Glesser invited Janich to take over as the instructor for the "Martial Blade Craft" program. Fresh from attending James Keating’s "Riddle of Steel" training camp, Sal wanted Spyderco to host a series of knife self-defense courses at their headquarters in Golden. As the program gained momentum, Sal also thought it would be beneficial for Janich to design a signature Spyderco knife that reflected his system of knife tactics. Janich presented the Ronin to Sal, explained the rationale behind it, and reinforced his points with the help of Pork Man. Sal was impressed, and thus, the Spyderco Ronin was born.
At that time, Spyderco's fixed blade market was still limited, so Sal also asked Janich to design a folding knife. Janich had already been working on a rough prototype of a folding tactical Wharncliffe, so he quickly adapted the design to incorporate Spyderco’s Trademark Round Hole and submitted a set of drawings along with his own handmade plastic concept model. Although Sal appreciated the design, its development progressed slowly, prompting Janich to "tip the scales" a bit. He returned to Mike Snody and commissioned a special one-off of his design, which he named the Yojimbo (Japanese for "bodyguard"). Snody graciously crafted the knife, shared photos online, and mentioned that Spyderco might be working on a production version.
The Spyderco Yojimbo followed shortly thereafter, in 2003. Manufactured in Spyderco's Golden, CO factory, it featured a full-flat-ground CPM S30V Wharncliffe blade, nested stainless steel liners, blue or black textured G10 scales, and an early version of the Compression Lock mechanism. Its three-inch blade was intentionally shorter than its tapered handle, as Janich had originally designed it to be legal for carry on airplanes, even during heightened security alerts. After 9/11, that design feature became irrelevant, but it still made the knife legal to carry almost everywhere.
While many dismissed it as a "box cutter on steroids," the Yojimbo gained more market traction than the Ronin. However, when Janich accepted a position managing another knife company in 2004, both he and Spyderco decided to remain amicable but discontinue the design.
Janich continued his Wharncliffe campaign with several other designs until 2009 when he joined Spyderco as a full-time employee. Although his primary responsibilities focused on technical writing and product education, he soon became part of Spyderco's R&D team. He was also invited to create another signature design that reflected his philosophy on personal-defense knives. Drawing on the lessons he had learned since the first Yojimbo, he designed the Yojimbo 2, which was released in late 2011.
The Yojimbo 2's more refined design—supported by Janich's relentless promotion of the Wharncliffe as a tactical blade profile—has helped it secure a solid place in Spyderco’s product line. Since it was purpose-designed as a self-defense knife, the live-blade version was accompanied by a dedicated trainer model in 2017. In an interesting example of "reverse evolution"—with the assistance of custom knifemaker Mickey Yurco—the Yojimbo 2 also inspired a nearly identical fixed-blade counterpart, the Ronin 2.
Although tactically themed Wharncliffes are now commonplace, the evolution of this breed all began with the collaborative efforts of Michael Janich, Spyderco, and the spirit of innovation they have shared for over 20 years.
**Features**
- Hand Orientation: Left/Right
- Tip Carry Position: Up/Down
**Specifications**
- Blade Length: 3.20"
- Closed Length: 4.49"
- Overall Length: 7.69"
- Cutting Edge: 3.00"
- Blade Thickness: 0.145"
- Blade Material: CPM-S30V Stainless Steel
- Blade Style: Wharncliffe
- Blade Grind: Hollow
- Blade Finish: Satin
- Blade Edge: Plain
- Handle Material: G10
- Handle Colours: Black
- Locking Mechanism: Compression Lock
- Pocket Clip: Tip-Up/Down, Right/Left Carry
- Model Number: C85GP2
- Model Name: Yojimbo 2
- Weight: 4.1 oz.
- Designer: Michael Janich
- Made in the USA
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