Japanese cutlery

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There are a number of different types of Japanese kitchen knives. The most commonly used types in the Japanese kitchen are the deba bocho (kitchen cleaver), nakiri bocho and usuba bocho (Japanese vegetable knives), and the tako hiki and yanagi ba (sashimi slicers).

Nowadays stainless steel is often used for the knives. Traditionally however, these knives were made from the same carbon steel as katana, and the most expensive knives have a similar quality, containing an inner core of hard and brittle steel, with a thick layer of soft and more ductile steel (occasionally stainless) wrapped around it so that the hard steel is exposed only at the cutting edge.

Most of the high-quality Japanese cutlery originates from Sakai, the capital of samurai sword manufacturing since the 1300s. The production of knives started in the 16th century, when tobacco was introduced to Japan by the Portuguese, and Sakai started to make knives for cutting tobacco. The Sakai knives industry received a major boost from the Tokugawa shogunate (1603 - 1868), which granted Sakai a special seal of approval and enhanced its reputation for quality (and according to some references a monopoly). During the Edo period (1603 - 1867) (or more precisely the Genroku era (1688-1704)) the first deba bocho were manufactured, soon followed by a wide range of other styles. Making kitchen knives and related products is still a major industry in Sakai, using a combination of modern machinery and traditional hand tools to make stain-resistant carbon steel blades. Most of the manufacturers are small family businesses where craftsmanship is more important than volume, and typically produce fewer than a dozen knives a day. ^[1].

(1) is angled on both sides, (2) and (3) only on one side, where (2) is for right hand use and (3) is for left hand use

Different from western knives, Japanese knives are often ground (sharpened) in a way that only one side holds the cutting edge, i.e. the bevel is only on one side. As shown in the image, some Japanese knives are angled from both sides, and others are angled only from one side, with the other side of the blade being flat. It is believed that a blade angled only on one side cuts better and makes cleaner cuts, but requires more skill in its use than a blade angled on both sides. Usually, the right hand side of the blade is angled, as most people use the knife with their right hand, with ratios ranging from 70-30 for the average chef's knife, to 90-10 for professional sushi chef knives; left-handed models are rare, and must be special ordered and custom made. ^[1]. Despite being angled on only one side, most knives are honed and sharpened from both sides, both the flat and the angled side. Some high quality knives, however, have hardened steel across the entire flat side and are sharpened only from the angled side.

Professional Japanese cooks usually own their personal set of knives, which are not used by other cooks. Some cooks even own two sets of knives, which they use alternatively each other day. After sharpening a set in the evening after use, they let it rest for one day to remove any metallic odour or taste that may be given on to the foods cut with the knife.

[edit] Prominent Brands

[edit] See also

• List of Japanese cooking utensils
• Kitchen knife

• Deba bocho: Kitchen cleaver for fish
• Nakiri bocho: Standard vegetable knife
• Usuba bocho: Professional vegetable knife
• Tako hiki: Sashimi slicer
• Yanagi ba: Sashimi slicer
• Fugu hiki: Sahsimi slicer for fugu
• Unagisaki hocho: Japanese eel knife
• Udon kiri: Knife to make udon
• Soba kiri: Knife to make soba
• Hancho hocho: Very long knives to fillet tuna
• Oroshi hocho: Extremely long knives to fillet tuna
• Santoku: Meaning "Three Virtues", so used for Fish, meat and vegetables, western style knife

[edit] References

• Japanese Cooking: A simple Art, by Shizuo Tsuji, Kodansha International (1980)

1. ^ ^{a b} "How to Succeed at Knife-Sharpening Without Losing a Thumb" New York Times, September 23, 2006. Accessed September 23, 2006.

[edit] External links

• Watanabeblade.com, traditional Japanese knife maker
• www.aritsugu.com, traditional Japanese knife maker