A Guide to Japanese Kitchen Knives

The essence of Japanese cuisine is to make the most of nature. Therefore, the knives that slice the ingredients, which are considered blessings from nature, are very important themselves,”  says a young chef named Mr. Masaki Kurata, who operates a restaurant called “Soba Kappo Kurata” in Tokyo. Masaki has more than 20 knives with his name engraved, which conveys how much they cherish their tools including their knives.

Various cuttings of vegetables. From the top left: Round cut, square cut, pentagon, crescent moon. From the middle left: chrysanthemum (turnip), octagon, and Roppo (meaning, “six laws”). From the bottom left: chrysanthemum (daikon radish), rectangle slice, half-moon slice and quarter slice.

So, why are there so many types of knives in the first place? Chefs skillfully use various types of knives that are different from household ones. Their knives are short to long, thin to thick, and small to large knives. Masaki smilingly reassured me that there’s good reasons why. “It’s necessary to take great care during the slicing process to directly express the richness, delicateness and seasonality of Japanese ingredients on a plate. There is certain combination of ingredients that is suited to each of the Japanese traditional “five basic cooking methods.” Taste, preparation and decoration methods also naturally change depending on the season and the condition of the ingredients. For example, the chef with the greatest responsibility in the French cuisine is the chef who makes the sauce, but in the Chinese cuisine, it’s the chef who conducts the final cooking using heat. In the Japanese cuisine, it is the chef who “cuts” the ingredients. They are referred to as the Hana-ita, who has the greatest responsibility.

I examined some of Masaki’s decorative vegetable garnishes, which included crescent moon made from daikon radish, and a lovely chrysanthemum flower made from turnips. Carrots are thinly cut like strings, which create a swirly, rhythmic wave design. “The Usuba knife (rectangular-shaped thin-bladed knife) is generally used for vegetables. Gorgeous designs such as the chrysanthemum turnip (second photo, center left) seem the most difficult, but the most challenging is the plain round cut (second photo, top left), which looks quite simple on the outset. It’s more difficult to make a beautiful, perfect circle, which serves as the basics of everything, rather than making something symmetrical. When peeling daikon radishes or cutting carrots, they are sliced at an angle against the fiber. The Tate-ken and Yoko-ken techniques refer to cutting parallel to the fiber, and vertically against the fiber, respectively. Effectively utilizing various techniques results in better texture and presentation.”

A Shinto shrine is also displayed on the shelf that holds various artistic plates used at Kurata’s restaurant.

After the array of colorful sushi came a transparent, white fish called a pike conger. It’s called Hamo, pike conger, written in Kanji as “fish” and “plentiful” from its rich vitality, and is known as a seasonal summer tradition especially in Kyoto. It’s very bony, and is generally prepared with a special knife called the Hamo-giri knife. 　“To be precise, we are actually ‘cutting its bone.’ Its preparation method is generally the same as that of Anago conger eek or Unagi eel, but Hamo fish especially has a lot of bones, which are nearly impossible to remove. Hence, a special knife is used to finely cut the bones to improve its texture and how it’s received by the throat. Semi-slicing the meat around the skin will produce a soft, fluffy texture it's parboiled.”

Slice open the middle bone are as well.

After removing the fins, use a special knife to cut its bones. It’s said that a distinct sound is made when doing so, as if you’re grinding some sand.

After researching about the Japanese cuisine, you’ll soon realize that a lot of Japanese idioms are derived from food. And knives are no exception. “A great example is ‘tsuke yakiba’ (thin veneer)”, smiles Masaki. “This is a term used by sword smiths, which means that no matter how much you sharpen the surface, it will soon lose its sharpness and will be rendered useless if you don’t sharpen the core. I sharpen my knives every day, even those that haven't been used that day. The shapes of the blade would be changed while sharpening, as if it’s integrated with my hand. But once you learn how to use a knife as if it’s your own finger tips without needing to put extra pressure, you will soon no longer need to sharpen it as much. Being able to use a knife as if its part of their body can be said to be a dream of all aspiring chefs.”