Knife Blog

Today, I introduce representative Japanese knives as well as the blog last time.
 
I introduce knives for cutting vegetables today. Japanese knives for vegetables enable all works relevant with vegetables, such as peeling and chopping. As a result, they can realize fine cuisine. Japanese knives for vegetables mainly have two types: double-edged knives, “Nakiri” and single-edged knives, “Usuba.” In Kansai area, sickle type “Usuba” is used and in Kanto area, square type “Usuba” is used.
 
1. Square Usuba
It is mainly used in Kanto area. It is sometimes called “Edo Usuba.” (Edo is the name of Tokyo in ancient times.) One of the features is that edged point is square.
 
2. Sickle type Usuba
It is mainly used in Kansai area. One of the features is that edged point is round. The bottom part of a blade peels vegetables, the center part of it peels or chamfers them, the top part of it decorates them.
 
3. Kyoto Nakiri
Nakiri is different from Usuba and Nakiri is double- edged. Its color is mainly black. Edged point is downward a little. It is sometimes called “Jinari Nakiri”
 
4. Nishigata Nakiri
The shape is is very rectangle and it is used in Western Japan.
 
5. Mukimono or Kenmuki
Its intended use is the same as Usuba’s one, but Mukimono or Kenmuki is thinner than Usuba and edged point is triangle.
 
6. Mentori or Kawamuki
It is small type of Sickle type Usuba. It has two types:single-edged and double-edged. It is mainly used for peeling vegetables.
 
There are more types of single-edged Japanese knives, so I will introduce them at a later date.
 
*The knives on the picture are Square Usuba, Sickle type Usuba, Kyoto Nakiri, Nishigata Nakiri, Mukimono, and Kawamuki from the left.