JAPANESE TRADITIONAL

With the exception of the Gyutou, traditional Japanese knives are not designed to prepare western dishes. Traditional Japanese knives are, for the most part, task specific for Japanese cuisine.

Western-style Japanese knives were developed to meet the needs of Japanese chefs preparing non-Japanese cuisine. They can be used in all kitchens and are a good choice for the non-Japanese kitchen.

DEBA

A filet or butchers knife. Very thick and heavy blade. Used for filleting fish and cutting of chicken, pork and beef. Its weight allows it to easily chop through fish bones. It is also good for filleting fish.

FUGUBIKI

Slicer, similar to the yanagi but with a narrow blade that is designed to slice very thin slices of fugu or puffer fish.

GARASUKI

Designed to cut up whole chickens into individual pieces. Because of its thickness and weight, it can also be used for other jobs that require heavy work with a short knife.

GYUTOU

Very similar to the Western chef knife. This is an all-purpose knife that can be used for cutting meat, fish and vegetables. Lightweight and thin.

KAMAGATA USUBA

Used to cut vegetables. Same use as the Usuba. The Kamagata Usuba has a pointed tip, which allows for more delicate work.

TOKABIKI

Similar to the yanagi but with a blunt tip. Also know as Tako Shshimi-Sushi knife or octopus cutter.

USUBA

Vegetable cutting rectangular blade with flat tip that looks like a cleaver. Traditionally it is used for katsura-muki, in which one continuous thin sheet is peeled off a radish.

YANAGI

Used to cut boneless fish fillets. Also know as Suchi or Sashimi knife. It is mainly used for a drawing cut, where the heel of the knife is placed on the fish and a cut is obtained by lightly pressing down or letting the weight of the knife do the work while drawing the blade towards you.