How do Japanese knives differ from European ones?

Not so much in the steel as in the construction of the blade. Most Japanese knives have a single-bevel edge (片刃): the bevel is on only one side, and the blade itself is made of hard steel on soft iron. European knives usually have a double-bevel edge (両刃) — it is more versatile, but it cuts more roughly where a clean, uncrushed cut matters, for example on raw fish.

What types of Japanese knives are there?

Three classic knives for specific tasks: yanagiba (柳刃) for sashimi, deba (出刃) for breaking down fish, and usuba (薄刃) for vegetables. In the 20th century santoku (三徳) was added — a hybrid of a Japanese and a Western knife for meat, fish, and vegetables at once, which became the main knife in the home kitchen.

Why is a Japanese knife sharpened on only one side?

A single-bevel edge (片刃) does not push the fibers of the food apart but slices them with almost no resistance, so fish and vegetables come out thinner and cleaner. Such knives are sharpened for a specific hand: for left-handed people a blade is ordered with the bevel on the other side, rather than taking the same knife turned differently.

How is "Japanese knife" written in Japanese?

和包丁 (wabōchō), in hiragana わぼうちょう — "Japanese" plus "kitchen knife": 和 means "Japanese," and 包丁 is the general Japanese word for a kitchen knife from any country. In everyday use it refers specifically to a knife with a single-bevel edge and a composite blade, not to any kitchen knife at all.

What are Japanese folding knives?

The most famous is the higonokami (肥後守): a simple pocket knife with one moving part, without a blade lock. This form began to be made in the 1890s, and its heyday came in the 1950s: in the city of Miki, Hyōgo, dozens of forges sharpened higonokami, and the knife was carried in school backpacks as an ordinary tool. Today this name is a registered trademark of one workshop in Miki that continues to make it.

Is it true that kitchen knives are made using samurai sword technology?

Partly yes: both crafts are based on combining hard steel and soft metal so that the blade holds an edge and does not shatter on impact. But they are different crafts and different craftsmen: a smith forging kitchen knives in Sakai or Seki does not forge swords, and vice versa.

Japanese Knives: How They Are Built Differently and How They Cut

Japanese knives differ from European ones not in the quality of the steel but in their construction: the blade is sharpened on only one side, not two, and is made of hard steel on soft iron. That is why a fish knife, a vegetable knife, and a meat knife are separate objects rather than one universal tool. Single-bevel sharpening cuts thinner and cleaner, but it requires honing on a stone, not in the dishwasher.

Let's look at why a Japanese knife usually has only one cutting edge rather than two, and what the blade is actually made of. We'll also see why there are so many types — from the thin yanagiba for sashimi to the folding higonokami that was once carried in a school backpack — and check the tale that kitchen knives are forged using the technology of samurai swords.

One Edge Instead of Two: How Sharpening Changes the Cut

Most European knives have a double-bevel edge (両刃, ryōba): the same angle is ground on both sides of the blade. A traditional Japanese knife more often has a single-bevel edge (片刃, kataba) — the bevel is on only one side, while the other is almost flat. So the knife does not push the fibers of fish or vegetables apart but slices them in one motion with almost no resistance. Such knives are sharpened for a specific hand: a blade for a left-handed person is ordered separately, with the bevel on the other side, rather than taking the same knife turned around.

Why Two Metals in One Blade

The cutting edge is forged from hard steel 鋼 (hagane) — it holds an edge for a long time, but on its own it is too brittle for a whole blade.
The body of the blade is made from soft iron 軟鉄 (nantetsu) — it bends rather than shatters, and softens the impact when working on bone or frozen food.
On a whetstone the soft iron wears away faster than the steel, and the cutting edge comes out sharp on its own without extra angle honing.
The same logic — hard steel over a soft core — underlies the forging of a samurai sword, though kitchen knives and swords are forged by different craftsmen in different workshops.

The Classic Trio and Santoku — a Hybrid for the Home Kitchen

The three classic knives for Japanese cuisine differ not in size but in purpose. The yanagiba (柳刃) is a long, thin knife for sashimi: you cut with a single drawing motion toward yourself, not with sawing jerks, so as not to crush the fish fibers. The deba (出刃) has a thick, heavy spine; it is used to break down a whole fish and chop small bones, and the blade shape is convenient for filleting in parts. The usuba (薄刃) is a thin, straight vegetable knife, including for decorative cuts. These knives also have regional shape variants: the eastern blade type is closer to a rectangle, the western one has a rounded tip.

Santoku — a Knife Less Than a Hundred Years Old

The santoku (三徳, "three virtues") was created in the 1940s, combining a Japanese vegetable knife and the fish deba with features of the Western chef's knife 牛刀. After World War II it quickly became established in ordinary Japanese households as one knife for all occasions — fish, meat, and vegetables — instead of three specialized ones.

Knife	Writing	What It Cuts
Yanagiba	柳刃 (やなぎば)	Sashimi and thin slicing of raw fish
Deba	出刃 (でば)	Breaking down a whole fish, including small bones
Usuba	薄刃 (うすば)	Vegetables, including decorative cuts
Santoku	三徳 (さんとく)	Meat, fish, and vegetables — one knife in the kitchen

Sakai, Seki, and Tsubame-Sanjō: Three Different Craft Cities

Forging in Sakai (堺, Osaka Prefecture) has been practiced since the Kofun period, and from the end of the Heian period the city began making swords. In the 16th century the Portuguese brought tobacco to Japan, and Sakai smiths began making special knives for cutting tobacco leaves — that is how the city's kitchen knife branch of the craft appeared. On March 5, 1982, the Minister of International Trade and Industry granted the knives and scissors of this production the status of a traditional craft under the name 堺打刃物, and Sakai knives are still chosen by many professional chefs. The smiths of Seki (関, Gifu Prefecture) have been forging blades since the Kamakura period; today Seki, along with the German Solingen and the English Sheffield, is called one of the three main knife-making centers in the world. Tsubame and Sanjō (Niigata) grew out of a simpler craft — there, from the Edo period, household nails were forged, and by the 20th century the same metalworking skill turned into the production of knives and stainless steel cookware.

Why Carbon Steel Is Wiped Dry

Classic Japanese blades are often forged from carbon steel rather than stainless — it holds an edge longer and allows the edge to be brought to a sharper finish, but it rusts from moisture in a matter of hours.
After breaking down fish or meat, the knife is washed and immediately wiped dry: a drop of water left overnight turns into a dark rust spot.
This is a property of the metal, not a whim: stainless steel is softer and holds sharpness worse, so for the sake of sharpness professionals put up with extra care.

和包丁: The Japanese Knife and the Character for "Blade"

刃 — значение: blade, edge, sword blade — онъёми: ジン、ニン — кунъёми: は、やいば、き.る — 3 штрих(ов). 刃 — "blade, edge": this character sits inside the words 片刃 (kataba, "one edge"), 両刃 (ryōba, "two edges"), and 刃物 (hamono) — the general word for any blades and knives.

What "包丁" Actually Means

和包丁 (wabōchō) — "Japanese kitchen knife": 和 means "Japanese," and 包丁 is the general Japanese word for a kitchen knife from any country. 包丁 itself does not break down into parts as "wrapped blade": the second character in this word is historically connected not with a blade but with a person. In the Chinese source 庖丁 meant not a knife but a position — "a servant who works in the kitchen," that is, a cook. In the Daoist text Zhuangzi there is a parable about a cook with this title who, before the ruler of the state of Wei, butchered a whole ox with a single precise motion, and explained it not by strength but by knowledge of the animal's anatomy. Over time the same word came to denote not the cook but the knife he worked with — so the name of the position passed to the tool.

Japanese	Reading	Translation
和包丁	Wabōchō · Wabōchō	Japanese kitchen knife
刃	ha · ha	Blade, edge
片刃	kataba · kataba	Single-bevel edge
両刃	ryōba · ryōba	Double-bevel edge
鋼	hagane · hagane	Steel, hardened blade metal
研ぐ	togu · togu	To sharpen on a stone

Write 刃 along the guides — the character for "blade," which appears in dozens of words about knives and blades.

FAQ

How do Japanese knives differ from European ones?: Not so much in the steel as in the construction of the blade. Most Japanese knives have a single-bevel edge (片刃): the bevel is on only one side, and the blade itself is made of hard steel on soft iron. European knives usually have a double-bevel edge (両刃) — it is more versatile, but it cuts more roughly where a clean, uncrushed cut matters, for example on raw fish.
What types of Japanese knives are there?: Three classic knives for specific tasks: yanagiba (柳刃) for sashimi, deba (出刃) for breaking down fish, and usuba (薄刃) for vegetables. In the 20th century santoku (三徳) was added — a hybrid of a Japanese and a Western knife for meat, fish, and vegetables at once, which became the main knife in the home kitchen.
Why is a Japanese knife sharpened on only one side?: A single-bevel edge (片刃) does not push the fibers of the food apart but slices them with almost no resistance, so fish and vegetables come out thinner and cleaner. Such knives are sharpened for a specific hand: for left-handed people a blade is ordered with the bevel on the other side, rather than taking the same knife turned differently.
How is "Japanese knife" written in Japanese?: 和包丁 (wabōchō), in hiragana わぼうちょう — "Japanese" plus "kitchen knife": 和 means "Japanese," and 包丁 is the general Japanese word for a kitchen knife from any country. In everyday use it refers specifically to a knife with a single-bevel edge and a composite blade, not to any kitchen knife at all.
What are Japanese folding knives?: The most famous is the higonokami (肥後守): a simple pocket knife with one moving part, without a blade lock. This form began to be made in the 1890s, and its heyday came in the 1950s: in the city of Miki, Hyōgo, dozens of forges sharpened higonokami, and the knife was carried in school backpacks as an ordinary tool. Today this name is a registered trademark of one workshop in Miki that continues to make it.
Is it true that kitchen knives are made using samurai sword technology?: Partly yes: both crafts are based on combining hard steel and soft metal so that the blade holds an edge and does not shatter on impact. But they are different crafts and different craftsmen: a smith forging kitchen knives in Sakai or Seki does not forge swords, and vice versa.

Sources

Updated: 2026-09-22