Japanese Knives

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unky_gumbi

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Aug 28, 2009
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I am just wondering is there a definitive list of Japanese knife styles that also gives pictures and rough dimensions? My brother wants me to make him a full set of kitchen knives in the Japanese style and I just want to do a little research before I try and do a bit of designing and make myself a materials list. I have found this site, but as usual I am not to sure on the validity of the information,

His requirements are for general North American kitchen duties, but he wants to have three knives in particular, a cleaver, a boning knife, and the ever popular Santuko, but I may try push him more towards a Gyuto. Any suggestion for what else to put into a 11 or so piece set would be appreciated, there will be four steak knives in there too.

Thanks
George
 
Thanks for letting me know that Zknives is a good site, and the link to Japanese Imports, I really like how detailed the descriptions are on that site:thumbup:
 
How about paring knives?


Along with a chef/santoku, I feel paring knives are the most useful.

More than one design & as many as you can muster.
ie
a wharnclif style is good for peeling, but others with a pointy point but straight edge and spine are good for other things,
even others with a pointy point but belly are good for others.

As a general rule the best paring knife will disappear for other shop or arts and crafts uses.
 
I just sold a set of three to a customer ten minutes ago. Santoku, Gyuto, Petty - $700.00

The main shapes are :
Deba hocho - "pointed carving knife" ,heavy cutting/chopping knife for meat and poultry ,with a point. Single bevel (katakiri ha)
Usuba hocho - "thin knife" lighter than a Deba with a square tip. Used for hard vegetables. Single bevel.
Nakiri hocho- "Greens cutting Knife", thinner and lighter than a usuba hocho.
Gyuto - "French knife", a double bevel chefs style knife.
Santoku hocho- " three uses/virtues knife", slicing, dicing, chopping....General purpose kitchen knife, usually double beveled.
Petty - Small utility knife, usually double beveled.

Sashimi hocho- " raw fish knife - the two main types most used are:
.......Yanagiba hocho - "willow blade", long thin slicer.
.......Tako hiki - "octopus puller", similar to yanagi, but lighter and with a square tip.
 
Great advise everyone, I am going to start working up some drawings this weekend and start presenting the ideas to him over Christmas
 
As a chef and fan of Japanese cutlery, I'd humbly submit the following knifes in order of most use.
Santoku (nice and thin)
thicker paring/utiliy knife
flexible boning knife
heavy cleaver
stiff Yanagi
You can accomplish anything with the above mentioned knives. Might add a serrated knife for bread and tomatoes if he isn't a avid sharpener.
Good luck with your project, please post a WIP!
 
I love those Japanese blade. It is interesting to watch the Japanese bladesmiths sit at their forge and heat treat and quench one blade after another. They use some great steel and then do it old school in the creating some of the best cutlery.
 
I've got the Shun Laurent Gras set it consists of:

Deba
Nakiri
Yanagiba

Those three with an occasional assist from a good pairing knife take care of just about all the kitchen duties well.
 
russamurai said:
As a chef and fan of Japanese cutlery, I'd humbly submit the following knifes in order of most use.
Santoku (nice and thin)
thicker paring/utiliy knife
flexible boning knife
heavy cleaver
stiff Yanagi
You can accomplish anything with the above mentioned knives. Might add a serrated knife for bread and tomatoes if he isn't a avid sharpener.
Good luck with your project, please post a WIP!
Click to expand...

He is fairly anal about the sharpness of his knives, but now that I am back in the area he just brings them to me when they need sharpening:o

Ryanol said:
I've got the Shun Laurent Gras set it consists of:

Deba
Nakiri
Yanagiba

Those three with an occasional assist from a good pairing knife take care of just about all the kitchen duties well.
Click to expand...

The thing is you and I both know that you don't need that full 11 piece knife set and you can do just about anything with 3 or 4 good knives, he wants a full set and is willing to pay for them, so I am not going to argue. Besides he is my older brother, he wouldn't listen to me any how:p
 
Gators ZKnives site is definitely a good place to start. He spent a lot of time researching that list and I've yet to find any I disagreed with.....not that I've ever even seen half of the one's he has described.
 
BTW, not to nitpick Stacy's list....but just to make sure it's clear.....a nakiri is a double beveled knife and a usuba does not necessarily have a square tip.
 
My sister is a big fan of Sashimi..I am going to make her a Sashimi knife. Ive decided on a 12" single bevel hidden tang design..
 
While we're on the topic of japanese knives, anyone have a good tutorial for making a japanese style hidden tang handle?
 
bladsmth said:
I just sold a set of three to a customer ten minutes ago. Santoku, Gyuto, Petty - $700.00

The main shapes are :
Deba hocho - "pointed carving knife" ,heavy cutting/chopping knife for meat and poultry ,with a point. Single bevel (katakiri ha)
Usuba hocho - "thin knife" lighter than a Deba with a square tip. Used for hard vegetables. Single bevel.
Nakiri hocho- "Greens cutting Knife", thinner and lighter than a usuba hocho.
Gyuto - "French knife", a double bevel chefs style knife.
Santoku hocho- " three uses/virtues knife", slicing, dicing, chopping....General purpose kitchen knife, usually double beveled.
Petty - Small utility knife, usually double beveled.

Sashimi hocho- " raw fish knife - the two main types most used are:
.......Yanagiba hocho - "willow blade", long thin slicer.
.......Tako hiki - "octopus puller", similar to yanagi, but lighter and with a square tip.
Click to expand...

Stacy I have been going through your list and doing some research. On the Deba Hocho and other single beveled knives are there double beveled counterparts? My brother is right handed while his girl friend is left handed. While the knives are going to be for him, she will still be using them as much if not more than he will, so I don't really want to make them for one hand only. I could always just make them double beveled, but that is kind of messing with the way things should be and I don't want to do that either.

Thanks
George
 
There is no "Cutlery Police" who will come in your kitchen and fine you if they don't like the blade shape.

Make the Deba and any other single bevel knife as a western double bevel. That is commonly done. Global and Shun have made millions doing excatly that.
 
OK then that makes things much simpler, I just didn't want to offend anyone by making a double beveled knife when it would normally be a single beveled knife. If all goes well I may have a few drawings to post up by the start of the week. I wont be starting on these till after the Christmas season, just too many things going on right now, and even if I started ordering material today I wouldn't have it all till after Christmas any how:o

Thanks
 
i think you coudl get away jsut fine with a 4 blade JP. set
westeren deba (kitchen shape and bowie/chopper grind)
nikiri 3/32 full flat ground to abut as thin as you can make it
12 inch slicer also 3/32 at the spine with a slight taper to the tip full flat ground
a petty/ utility or the chicken boning knife (cant think of the name right now) it has a stronger tip to pry joints apart saving the other knives for lighter duty
 
I agree, I only use a couple of knives for cooking, but he has requested a full set so who am I to argue with him

butcher_block said:
i think you coudl get away jsut fine with a 4 blade JP. set
westeren deba (kitchen shape and bowie/chopper grind)
nikiri 3/32 full flat ground to abut as thin as you can make it
12 inch slicer also 3/32 at the spine with a slight taper to the tip full flat ground
a petty/ utility or the chicken boning knife (cant think of the name right now) it has a stronger tip to pry joints apart saving the other knives for lighter duty
Click to expand...
 
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