WESTERN STYLE KNIVES

Sujihiki – The Sujihiki is a long narrow slicer. The length allows you to reduce the amount of strokes and avoid “sawing” motions.

Gyuto – The Gyuto is a Japanese style chef knife. Typically thinner and has less belly (curve) than the European chef knives. This is an all purpose knife.

Wa-Gyuto – The Wa-Gyuto is a chef knife with a traditional Japanese handle. This type of handle will affect the weight, making the knife lighter overall and will balance forward. This is an all purpose knife.

Santoku – This is an all purpose knife which combines the knuckle clearance of a chef knife with the maneuverability shorter blade. This is an all purpose knife and is more suitable for dicing and push cutting.

Nakiri – The Nakiri is a light duty vegetable cleaver. This is an all purpose knife and is more suitable for dicing and push cutting.

Deba – The Deba is a heavy blade light duty cleaver. It is typically shaped like a chef knife or santoku but is intended for butchering meat, fish and poultry - not for vegetables
or precision knife work.

Garasuki – the Garasuki is a large wedge shaped poultry-style boning knife and is good for many types of butchering duties which require a heavy blade.

Honesuki – The Honesuki is a smaller version of the Garasuki (see above)

Honkotsu – The Honkotsu is a straight style boning knife and is good for many types of butchering duties which require a heavier blade.

These knives are mostly single beveled, with one side being concave to ease with food separation. These knives should only be hand sharpened by whetstone.

Yanagiba – Also called a sushi knife and is meant for slicing fish. This blade in not meant for butchering and should not come in contact with bones.

Fuguhiki – A thinner version of the Yanagiba, primarily designed for the cutting Puffer fish (Fugu) but can also be used for the precision slicing of fish.

Takohiki – the Takohiki is meant for cutting sashimi and octopus. This blade in not meant for butchering and should not come in contact with bones.

Deba – The Deba is a butchering cleaver meant for fish and poultry.

Funyaki – Shaped like a Deba, the Funyaki is thinner and is more of an all purpose knife.

Usuba – The Usuba is designed primarily for peeling and slicing vegetables.
The Kamagata Usuba features a pointy edge.

Nakiri – The Nakiri is a thin double sided vegetable cleaver.