Japanese Knives

The cleanness of a knife stems from its beauty, but this quality is also intimately related to the feel of the knife.

Sashimi Knives

Single-edged knives used to cut in one motion from the base to the tip of the blade.  Prized for the sharpness of the blade's feel and the beauty of the incision.

Yanagiba

A Kansai-style sashimi knife that is known as "shoubu" because of its resemblance to the petals of the iris.

Takobiki (octopus cutting knife)

A Kanto-style sashimi knife with the ridge from the base to the tip of the blade and the path of the blade in parallel.  The blade is convenient for square shapes and cutting in a continuous flow.

Fugubiki (globefish cutting knife)

A special knife used in sashimi preparation to cut the upper half of fugu.  The thickness of the ridge is thinner than that of a yanagiba.  The body of the blade is also thinner and the path of the blade is straight.

Pointed Carving Knives

Thick base, with thin and sharp tip. Used to cut the bones of fish and game, it is also used for triple grating.  The lower quarter length of the blade is used for mincing, while the upper sixth is used for tearing and grating.

Small pointed carving knife

Used to de-bone horse mackerel and small sea bream, grating, and filleting.

Accompanying pointed carving knife

A finer knife with a thinner ridge than a carving knife.  A lightweight knife for cutting hard bone and relatively easy to use.

Pointed carving knife for grating

Similar to the accompanying pointed carving knife.  It can be used for double grating and removal.

Cutting knife

The cutting portion of the blade is broad and polished to avoid hard objects.  It is used for triple cutting, removal, and shredding.

Black pointed carving knife

Prized for its practicality, with only the opposite side and cutting portion polished, this knife is used strategically.  It has a double-edge specifically designed for mincing.

Thin-blade knives

A knife recommended for peeling, mincing, skinning, slicing, and cutting vegetables. The thin blade creates fine incisions and perfect for making exquisite shapes.

Thin curved knives

Kansai-style thin knives are used for skinning and slicing as well as decorative cutting utilizing the tip of the blade.  The base is used to remove the skin from vegetables and for coring.  The central portion is used for fine work like peeling, slicing, and garnishing as well as beveling and shredding.

Kanto-style thin knives

The ridge and the path of the blade are parallel while the tip of the blade is squared.  The tip of the blade is slightly curved, making this knife inconvenient for decoration and fine work.

Kanto-style fine knives for skinning

Uses are similar to Kanto-style thin knives, but the back of the ridge grows thinner in stages and the tip of the blade comes to a squared off point.

Kansai-style beveling knives

A small thin-bladed knife with a curved thin single edge and thin blade ridge.  Convenient for removal of the skin from vegetables, beveling, and shredding.

Paring knives

The same style as beveling knives, but with a thinner blade ridge and having a double edge. A small knife that is extremely convenient for paring and slicing.