Correct. I think it depends on the kind of knife one is holding. It is easier to move the entire hand forward for a more Westernized knife and therefore a hybrid pinch and pointer grip – still has the index finger on the spine and pinch the blade with the thumb and middle finger.
Both Marco and Saito were using Westernized knives in those photos.
For a true yanagi-ba, there is a space between the handle and the blade, and also yanagi-ba blade is narrower to pinch. So the pinching (if one can call that) is at the handle.
Good observations.
