Technique · The Practical Library
使い方
Using Japanese Knives
Owning the right knife is half the story. These are the hands-on guides: the grip, the motions each shape was designed for, what to cut with it, what never to, and the mistakes everyone makes once. One guide per shape, written to be cooked with.
Every Day
The all-purpose three
Gyuto牛刀Beginner up
The Japanese chef's knife. Push cuts, slice-pulls, tip work: the one knife that does the whole prep list.
Santoku三徳Beginner up
The home all-rounder. Straight up-down cutting, no rocking, shorter and friendlier than a gyuto.
Bunka文化Beginner up
The k-tip all-rounder, ko-bunka included. Santoku duties plus a point built for precision.
Vegetables and Small Work
The produce bench
Nakiri菜切Beginner up
The double-bevel vegetable knife. Full-length contact, clean push cuts, zero accordion onions.
Usuba薄刃Advanced
The single-bevel professional vegetable blade. Katsuramuki rotary peels and knife-drawn precision.
PettyペティBeginner up
The small precision knife. In-hand paring, shallots, garlic, fruit, and everything the big knife overshoots.
Slicing and Fish
The long blades
Sujihiki筋引Intermediate
The double-bevel slicer. One long stroke through roasts, briskets, and proteins of every kind.
Yanagiba柳刃Advanced
The sashimi blade. The single-pull draw cut, hira-zukuri and sogi-zukuri, single-bevel discipline.
Deba出刃Intermediate
The fish-butchery knife. Head work at the joints, sanmai oroshi filleting, never a cleaver.
Specialists
The pointed answers
Kiritsuke切付Intermediate
The k-tip statement blade, in traditional single-bevel and modern double-bevel forms. Flat-profile discipline required.
Honesuki骨スキIntermediate
The poultry boning knife. Whole-chicken breakdown, joint by joint, around the bone and never through it.
Not sure which shape you even need? Start with the first-knife guide, the shape overview, or the classic gyuto vs santoku question. And whatever you cut with, the edge lives longer with proper care and the right angles.
