A Japanese kitchen knife is a type of kitchen knife used for food preparation. These knives come in many different varieties and are often made using traditional Japanese blacksmithing techniques. They can be made from stainless steel, or hagane, which is the same kind of steel used to make Japanese swords. Most knives are referred to as or the variation in compound words (because of ) but can have other names including and . There are four general categories used to distinguish the Japanese knife designs: handle — Western v. Japanese construction, or a fusion of the two blade grind — single bevel, v. double bevel, (outside of kitchen knives, these can mean single/double edged) steel — stainless v. (high) carbon construction — laminated v. mono-steel
Handle
Western handles have a bolster and a full or partial tang held together by several metal rivets. These handles are often heavier, but are smaller in volume and surface area than most Japanese handles. The scale handle materials are often synthetic or resin-cured engineered wood and are non-porous. Chefs who prefer the feel of a Western handle, enjoy a more handle-heavy balance and grip the handle closer to the blade. This allows for more weight in the cut.
Western knife handles are usually shaped along their length to form a grip, whereas the sides are traditionally flattened. In very recent times, there has been a move to expand the roundedness to the sides of the handle giving a more complex cross-section. In contrast, Japanese knife handles typically have an oval or octagonal cross-sectional shape, with no longitudinal shaping, which is either straight or has a gradual taper towards the blade. Another common shape is the D-shape, which is an oval handle with a ridge running along the same side as the edge bevel, (right side of handle for a right-handed knife). These handles are proportional larger, but also lighter in weight, for the size of blade, so altering the balance of the knife itself.
Japanese handles, on the other hand are traditionally made of ho wood, which is burned in and friction-fitted to a hidden tang that does not run the full handle length. The wood is porous and fine-grained, which makes it less likely to split and retain its grip. A metal collar or buffalo horn bolster caps the handle-blade junction and further reduces the possibility splitting. This allows easy installation and replacement.
More decorative woods, such as ebony, yew, cherry, or chestnut, may be made into handles, though they are heavier and often charred on the outside to improve grip and water resistance. If they are not cured well or properly cared for, these decorative woods will crack more easily when exposed to moisture.
Pak or Pakka wood is a composite material of laminated wood bound in a synthetic resin matrix. It has the advantages of that is more durable, not porous and so waterproof, and is less likely to split. It is used on less expensive knives commonly replacing either the buffalo horn bolster, or both the bolster and the handle. The most common wood variant is chestnut.
Blade
Single bevel knives
Traditionally, Japanese knives are single-bevel edged — — and this remains the dominant style. These are the knives of the established traditional Japanese cuisine and were originally developed from the Chinese double-beveled knives.
They have an , (an edge on the right for right-handers); a , (where the front bevel meets the flat of the blade face); and an , (a hollow on the unbeveled side that releases food). These knives are usually a little thicker at the spine and body than Japanese double bevels, but are thinner right behind the edge. While they leave a better surface finish, the produce must bend further because of the thickness of the blade. They are sharpened along the single bevel by applying pressure to both the and the edge. Honbazuke is the initial sharpening that forms a flat surface along the perimeter of the strengthening it. This practice also straightens the backside and lays a shape for future sharpening. The is sharpened much more than the in order to maintain the function of the single bevel.
The blade tips vary in style across Japan. Kansai-style knives usually have pointed tip for vertical cuts, which helps in decorative tip work. Edo-style knives are typically shorter with a square tip used for horizontal cuts, rendering a more robust working knife.
The standard Japanese knife set, essential to (和食 — Japanese cuisine), includes the , , and .
Single-bevelled knives include:
— — three main sashimi knives: — — (literally: "willow blade"). The most popular knife for cutting fish, also known as shobu-bōchō (sashimi knife). It is used to highlight different textures of fish in their techniques: hirazukuri to pull cut vertically, usuzukuri to pull cut thin vertically, and sogizukuri to pull cut at an angle. It is used to skin and sometimes scale and de-bone certain fish (for instance salmon). Yanagi-ba have angled tips and are generally heavier and have less sloping. The general blade size is from . — (lit: "octopus cutter") A regional variant of the yanagi-ba from Tokyo, that is lighter, thinner, flatter, and shallower in blade height with a square tip than yanagi-ba to allow easier cutting through dense flesh such as that of an octopus. — (lit: "pufferfish cutter") Another regional variant of the yanagi-ba, with a thinner blade and a round tip, that is for the very careful preparation of poisonous fugu.
— — (lit: 'pointed carver'). Thick knives with a broad slightly rounded arrow shape blade, to cut through resilient fish flesh for fillet and to cut through rib bones, behind the head, and through the head. Typically, they are between thick depending on size. They include hon-deba (lit: "true deba"); ko-deba ("small deba"); (for aji); (a smaller, more pointed form for use on boats); mioroshi deba (a hybrid between deba and yanagi-ba that are intermediate in thickness, weight, and length); and yo-deba (lit: "Western-styled deba"). The smaller sizes are less thick, allowing the knife to move through flesh easily, and are much more nimble. They are still much thinner behind the edge and more fragile than a Western butchering knife. The general blade size is from .
— — (lit: 'thin blade') It is the thinnest of the three general knife shapes, which utilizes a flat edge profile. A vegetable cleaver similar in shape profile to the double-bevel as well as usage. It is used for push cutting, (rotary cutting of thin sheets) and (cutting thin strips from those sheets). There are regional edo-usuba (square tip) and (sheep's foot tip) variants. The general blade size range is from .
— Used along with usuba for vegetables and it has an angled tip for decorative vegetable cutting. The general blade size range is from .
— A large hybrid with the length of yanagi-ba and the blade height and profile of usuba with an angled tip as a compromise. It requires great knife control because of the height, length, and flatness. The general blade size range is from to .
— A small triangular knife used to debone chicken. Most have an angled tip to slip between tendons and cut them. The general blade size range is from
— A thicker version of the hone-suki, capable of cutting through chicken bones.
— (lit: pike conger cutter). It is a knife intermediate in thickness and length between deba and yanagi-ba to cut the thin bones and flesh of pike conger. The general blade size range is from to . — — (lit: "eel cutting knife") This knife comes in style variants from Kanto, Kyoto, Nagoya, and Kyushu. — (lit: soba cutter). A large oblong knife for cutting noodles, with a (udon noodles cutter) variant. The general blade size range is from to . — (lit: mochi cutter). Used in preparation of mochi (Japanese rice cake) and comes in double-handle or single-handle variants. — (lit: tuna cutter). It is used to cut perpendicular (shorter) or parallel (longer and more flexible) to the very large Pacific blue-fin tuna and is sized accordingly. The general blade size range is from , so these are not normally found in domestic kitchens.
Double bevel knives
Japan adopted French and German cutlery ideas during the Meiji period in the late 19th century, integrating them into Japanese cutting techniques and culture. Japanese knives are often flatter and lighter than their European counterparts. Traditional Western knives are made with a double bevel — — which tapers symmetrically to the cutting edge on each side. Single bevel knives, kataba, which only taper to one side (typically the right), can require more care and expertise when both using and in sharpening.
Double-bevelled knives include:
— — (lit: "beef-knife"). This is the Japanese word, for a regular Western chef's knife, used outside of Japan, for the Japanese versions of the knife type. Used for professional Western cuisine. When preparing vegetables, it is used in the form of chopping or thrust-cutting near the heel of the knife. The gyuto is used to rock-chop stiffer produce and to make fine cuts at the tip of the knife. It is used for many different cuts of meat. For larger cuts it is used to saw back and forth. It is used to pull-cut softer meats and push-cut more muscular cuts of meat. There is usually a slope from the heel of the knife to the tip, causing the wrist to point down and the shoulder to raise when cutting. The blade size ranges from to , with a shorter blade being more nimble, a longer blade giving more slicing power, and an intermediate length as a compromise for general use.
— — (lit: "three virtues"). San is translated as "3", whereas the "virtues", or more applicable "uses/purposes", being probably more relevant for English speakers. This derives from the best traits of three other knives: the , , and when it was developed in the 1940s. As a general multi-purpose utility kitchen knife, the can be used for cutting meat, fish, and/or vegetables, against the more specialized knives being designed for just one task, such as the , , etc. Generally, the have a less curved edge to the blade than a and have a less acute tip, instead having a down-turned rounded tip, (i.e. a sheep's foot). Since the cutting edge is straighter, the wrist is in a more natural position and the shoulder does not need to be raised as high. These knives do not require as much room to cut. These are the most popular knives in most Japanese homes. The general size ranges from .
— — (lit: "cultural kitchen knife"). This knife is a variant of the santoku, but instead of the curved sheep's foot tip, the , however, has a more angular, straight tip. This difference is clear in the image showing the comparison of the two knives. — — (lit: "vegetable cutter"). The square tip makes the knife feel more robust and secure than the pointed tip of the santoku or gyuto, which allows it to cut dense products at the tip. This knife has a flat edge. Some varieties of a nakiri have a slightly tilted blade profile towards the handle. This makes the grip more comfortable, causing the hand tilt up slightly and enabling one to use strength from their forearm when cutting. The general size ranges from .
Petty — The Japanese equivalent of a paring knife or utility knife. This is a smaller knife for paring or for smaller produce, often used to accompany the gyuto. The general sizes range from .
— — (lit: "muscle/sinews puller"). These are long knives used to cut meat, often in the form of a draw cut. The general sizes range from to .
— (lit: "rebelious"). This is a boning butchering knife used for cattle to cut hanging meat from the bone with a pointed tip and a short height which allows the user to turn to cut along bone, connective tissue or fat. The general size is .