RedEdg77, that's a legitimate question! Traditionally, kiridashi are a Japanese woodworking knife. Someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but I think they are used as marking knives for carpentry, so you mark lines out with it and when you cut with your saw, because you cut the line into the wood with the knife, the wood will not splinter around the cut. I think there may be versions of kiridashi that are more for general utility/wood shop use, too.
If you search using Google's Images feature for "kiridashi" you'll find tons of pictures of almost limitless variations on this style of knife. The traditional ones typically have a hollow chisel grind on the main side and just aslight bevel on the other side, but it's almost completely flat. I've never held one, but they also look like they have a small longitudinal hollow ground into the back/flat side, too, much like Japanese chisels.
In the West, this style of knife is more popular as a self-defense item, probably because of Fred Perrin's influence with knives like the Street Surgeon. I am not afraid to admit that I don't know squat about self-defense other than to run like hell and avoid threatening situations altogether when possible. Personally, I'd use this knife exactly as it's intended, as a woodworking tool. It could be considered an "art" piece, too, I suppose. I try to make functional knives for the real world and, frankly, this one stretches that a little, but I like the style and it could be a really useful tool for someone who uses it right. I called it "tactical" because it certainly is anything but a traditional kiridashi.
