Japanese Knives

 Santoku – a universal kitchen knife with a double-sided sharpening, is perhaps the most popular model of Japanese knives. "Santoku" literally translates as "three good things" or "three uses". It means that it is good to cut, chop and crumble with such a knife. There is also a version that means that the knife can be used for vegetables, meat and fish.

    Santoku, unlike the usual European chef's knife, has a different blade shape – its tip is lowered, and the cutting edge has a more straight shape. So, this kitchen knife is also suitable for chopping. The blade length of the santoku is usually 16-18 cm. Sometimes there are models with a short blade - only 14 cm. Pay attention that knives with a shorter blade, the handle is also shorter than a standard-sized santoku. Therefore, knives with a shortened blade fit better in a woman's hand, and for men the handle may be too short and uncomfortable. Often there are air pockets on the santoku blade, which prevent sticking of products. However, this does not work with all vegetables.

    Like other Japanese kitchen knives, santoku is made of both stainless and carbon steel. If you don't have time to take special care of the knife, we recommend choosing a stainless steel santoku. If you are ready to immediately wipe the knife dry after washing and periodically care it with oil, feel free to choose a carbon steel santoku. It can be sharpened to razor sharpness and it will keep sharpening for a long time. However, currently there are high-carbon Japanese steels that are corrosion resistant, such as, for example, VG10.

    Regardless of what materials the santoku knife is made of, it cannot be washed in the dishwasher. Washing in the dishwasher damages the handle material and the blade. To protect the santoku blade and other Japanese knives from damage during storage or carrying, you can use a special saja sheath. This is a wooden case that can be put on the blade and, if necessary, secured with a special pin. Saja can also be bought online in our store.

    In general, the Japanese santoku knife may well replace the classic European chef's knife in the kitchen. Or become a great addition to it. Here you can buy online santoku knives of the best Japanese brands and craftsmen: Kasumi, Tojiro, Mcusta Zanmai, Seki Kanetsugu, Miyabi, Yu Kurosaki and others. If you have any questions about Santoku, our consultants will be happy to answer you in an online chat or by email.

Nakiri (nakiri bocho) translates as "a knife for cutting greens". This is one of the most popular Japanese knives. Please note that although this knife is similar to a kitchen hatchet, the nakiri is not suitable for cutting meat or fish with bones and is used exclusively for slicing vegetables and chopping greens. The nakiri has an almost rectangular blade shape and a very thin blade. If you often chop vegetables and greens, nakiri will become your indispensable assistant. The length of the blade is usually 16-18 cm. We offer nakiri knives made by best Japanese manufacturers and masters, for example Tojiro, Mcusta Zanmai, Kasumi, Yu Kurosaki, Takeshi Saji and other.

Yanagiba is a Japanese sushi and sashimi knife. The name translates as "willow leaf". As the name suggests, yanagiba has a narrow and long blade, usually from 21 to 33 cm. With such a knife, it is easy and convenient to cut off the thinnest pieces of fillet. Traditionally, yanagiba is a single bevel knife. Therefore, left-handed people should buy a yanagiba knife with a sharpening on the other side, especially for left-handed. If you prefer double beveled japanese knives, like traditional slicers, we recommend buying a sujihiki knife.

    Historically, yanagiba is made of high-carbon steels, such as, for example, aogami and shirogami. High-carbon steels are easy to sharpen. A sharp blade is mandatory for a sushi knife, because the perfect sharpening allows you to preserve the structure of the product. Since knives made of high-carbon steel are susceptible to corrosion, they need to be washed only by hand and wiped dry immediately after use. However, recently many Japanese manufacturers began to manufacture yanagiba knives of stainless steel. Such sushi knives require less care, but more frequent sharpening. As a rule, yanagiba knives are equipped with traditional Japanese octagon or D-shape handles. Usually the handles are made of natural wood, for example, magnolia. However, some manufacturers produce yanagiba knives with more hygienic handles made of plastic or rubber. All sushi knives have long enough non-slip handles, allowing you to comfortably hold them with and without gloves.

    It is recommended to use Japanese whetstones to sharpen yanagiba knives. To prevent the blade from being damaged during storage and transportation, you can use a special japanese wooden case – saya. Before buying a saya, we recommend asking our consultants to try on the saya case for the selected knife. Since both Japanese kitchen knives and saya cases are mostly handmade, the scabbard may not fit.

    If you want to cut fish or other products into the thinnest pieces, buying a yanagiba knife will be the best solution.

The Deba is a heavy knife for gutting and filleting fish. Most debas are single bevel meaning the knife is ground on one side only and the back side of the knife is flat. Traditionally, these are made of carbon steel, which needs regular maintenance and oiling to prevent rust. Now deba is also commonly used for breaking down and dressing poultry and other meat with small bones. Because Japanese cuisine makes use of many different sizes and species of fish and seafood, Deba of many different types and sizes are available. At MyGoodKnife-store you can buy deba knives from best japanese brands.

We offer Kiritsuke knives from Japan. Kiritsuke knives are known as “masters knives” meaning that once you’ve attained a certain skill level all tasks can be completed with this knife shape. Kiritsuke is intended as a general purpose knife for use in preparing traditional Japanese cuisine. The kiritsuke’s reverse tanto profile makes the pointed tip very nimble but also delicate while the flat profile lends itself well to chopping and push cutting.

Sujihiki is a double edge slicing knife with a long narrow blade that smoothly slices through meat or vegetables and preserves the integrity of each ingredient's freshness. The Sujihiki slicer can carve and fabricate large roasts and other meats and fish. In our store you can buy sujihiki japanese kitchen knives by best brands: Kasumi, Tojiro, Mcusta, Seki Kanetsugu and other.

The gyuto is a Japanese designed chef's knife. Gyutos vary widely in design but generally range from 210mm to 270mm in length though smaller and large. The difference between gyuto and western chef knife is that the gyuto's blade is thinner and holds a sharper edge. As a result, the gyuto is a more precise and versatile blade, and has become the preferred all-purpose knife in restaurant kitchens. Use the gyuto for chopping, mincing and slicing meat, fish, vegetables and fruit.

The Bunka (Bunka Bocho) is a versatile general-purpose Japanese knife. It is regarded as a multi-use knife that is adept at cutting, chopping, slicing, dicing and mincing foods such as meat, fish, vegetables and herbs. The Bunka, along with the Gyuto and the Santoku, is often recommended as a stylish alternative to the classic western chef’s knife. Compared to a western chef’s knife, the Bunka is shorter, lighter, thinner and uses harder steel to retain its sharp edge for longer. The Bunka typically shares the same features as a Santoku knife, such as a predominantly straight cutting edge and a wide blade. However, the Bunka is different from the Santoku knife with its signature ‘reverse-tanto’ angled tip, also known as a ‘k-tip’ point.

The Petty is a small utility knife used for peeling, shaping and slicing fruits and vegetables, chopping herbs and preparing side dishes. The word "Petty" came to the Japanese language from the French "petite" (engl. small). The compact size and relatively narrow blade make this knife very manoeuvrable and controllable, and also ideal for making precise cuts. Petty knives are traditionally larger than European peeling knives, but smaller than similarly shaped Gyuto knives. The Petty is ideal for peeling fruits and vegetables as well as for delicate work on chopping boards. Petty sizes today range from 75mm to 150mm, so there is something for every hand, big or small.

Honesuki is a boning knife specially designed for cutting poultry. Translated into English, honesuki is literally a "bone knife". These knives often have a single-edged blade. The reverse tanto design increases the strength of the tip while allowing it to easily trim connective tissue and make precise cuts in hard-to-reach areas such as joints and veins. Honesuki doesn't have the flexibility of European boning knives, but it is definitely better in efficiency and edge retention. In addition, the Honesuki is narrow enough to rotate it quickly when cutting around and along the bone. Although these knives are very durable, they are designed specifically for cutting the joints of the bird, not for splitting bones. Many people also note that, among other things, this knife can be used to cut fish fillets and red meat, or even use it as a universal knife.

Knife saya is a wooden sheath made for a specific type of Japanese kitchen knife blade. Saya covers prevent damages on knives during transport and storage. Saya covers from different manufacturers have individual peculiarities, so there is a possibility that it does not fit your knife. We recommend to ask our consultants if you are not sure that chosen saya fits to your knife. We do not guarantee that saya fits knife without fitting. 

In the MyGoodKnife store you can buy not only Japanese knives, but also replacable handles for them. Few people know that traditional Japanese magnolia handles are replaceable. As a rule, in Japan, the shank of the knife is only inserted (molded) into the handle. In this case, the glue is not used. Only for models sent for export, factories and craftsmen use additional adhesives. You can change the handle if the handle of your traditional Japanese knife already has obvious traces of use or does not really fit you in size. Also, such handles will be useful for knife manufacturers: both professionals and amateurs.

Damascus knives or knives made of Damascus steel are rightfully considered one of the best. In fact, this is not a steel grade, but a processing method when many layers of different steels are welded or forged together.

    Japanese Damascus knives combine ancient methods of gunsmiths and modern technologies. As a rule, blacksmiths alternate steels with high and low carbon content. Steels with a high carbon content have sharpness, and those with a low carbon content have strength. Both of these properties are combined in the Damascus blade. From the alternation of steels, a multi-layered strong, durable and sharp blade with a beautiful pattern is obtained. Damascus steel got its name from the Syrian city of Damascus, which for a long time was the center of metalworking and blade production. However, archaeological excavations show that since ancient times, in different parts of the world, blacksmiths have mastered the technique of making multilayer blades, which today are called Damascus blades all over the world.

    Many factory-made Japanese Damascus knives usually have a three-layer design. The cutting edge is made of solid carbon steel (for example, aogami), and soft plates are made of Damascus steel. This is done not only for beauty. Softer pads prevent the knife from breaking. According to their properties, such knives are not completely inferior to Damascus blades. There are several types of Damascus. The most common of them are: "wild" and "simple". The names speak for themselves. A package of steels is forged, folded and forged again. This is repeated many times. The drawing of such Damascus steel turns out to be chaotic, which is why it is called wild. Unlike these species, mosaic Damascus has a strict pattern. For such damascus steel, a package of steels is selected specifically as a mosaic.

    Despite the fact that Damascus steel knives are really very sharp and durable, they cannot be used for cutting excessively hard foods or chopping bones. There are special tools for this, for example, kitchen hatchets. Since Damascus usually contains carbon steel, such knives are susceptible to corrosion. After use, Japanese Damascus knives must be washed and wiped dry immediately. For care, we recommend using camellia oil. Oil fills invisible air pockets and the knife will not rust. As a rule, Damascus knives keep sharpening for a long time. To keep the cutting edge sharp, sharpen the knife with a ceramic stick. It is recommended to use whetstones for the main sharpening.

    A Japanese Damascus knife will be a wonderful working tool of a cook, an ornament of any kitchen, as well as a worthy gift.