Японские кухонные ножи: типы, особенности и традиции

Type of knife used for food preparation

A Japanese kitchen knife is a type of kitchen knife used for food preparation. These knives come in many different varieties and are often made using traditional Japanese blacksmithing techniques. They can be made from stainless steel, or hagane, which is the same kind of steel used to make Japanese swords. Most knives are referred to as (包丁/庖丁) or the variation bōchō in compound words (because of rendaku) but can have other names including (〜切り). There are four general categories used to distinguish the Japanese knife designs: handle (Western vs. Japanese), blade grind (single bevel vs. double bevel), steel (stainless vs. carbon), and construction (laminated vs. monosteel).

Western handles have a bolster and a full or partial tang. These handles are often heavier but are smaller in volume and surface area than most Japanese handles. The scale materials are often synthetic or resin cured wood and are non porous. Chefs who prefer the feel of a Western handle enjoy a more handle heavy balance and grip the handle closer to the blade. This allows for more weight in the cut. Japanese handles, on the other hand are often made of ho wood which is burned in and friction fitted to a hidden tang. A buffalo horn bolster caps the handle blade junction and prevents any splitting. This allows easy installation and replacement. The wood is porous and fine grained, which makes it less likely to split and retain its grip. More decorative woods, such as ebony, yew, cherry, or chestnut, may be made into handles, though they are heavier and often charred on the outside to improve grip and water resistance. If they are not cured well or properly cared for, these decorative woods will crack more easily when exposed to moisture. Pak, or Pakka wood is a laminated wood also used on less expensive knives commonly replacing either the buffalo horn bolster or both the bolster and the handle. As it is held in a synthetic resin it is not porous and is waterproof. The most common wood variant is chestnut. The most common shape is an octagon which is made with a slight taper towards the blade. Another common shape is the d shape, which is an oval handle with a ridge running along the same side as the edge bevel (right side of handle for a right handed knife). A chef that prefers a knife with more weight in the blade, their knife to be lighter overall, to have a larger handle, or one who wants to replace their knife handle more easily, will often turn to a Japanese handle.

Traditional Western knives are made with a double bevel, which tapers symmetrically to the cutting edge on each side. Single bevel knives, which only taper to one side (typically the right), can require more care and expertise when using. Japan adopted French and German cutlery ideas during the Meiji period in the late 19th century, integrating them into Japanese cutting techniques and culture. Japanese knives are often flatter than their European counterparts. katsuobushi kiri (鰹節 切): This knife is used to slice thin scales of bonito (katsuobushi) in preparation to use it as an ingredient in many dishes. The blade is short, about 65mm in length and resembles a wood carving knife. Gyuto (牛刀): (beef knife) This knife is known as the chef's knife used for professional Western cuisine. When preparing vegetables, it is used in the form of chopping or thrust cutting near the heel of the knife. The gyuto is used to rock chop stiffer produce and to make fine cuts at the tip of the knife. It is used for many different cuts of meat. For larger cuts it is used to saw back and forth. It is used to pull cut softer meats and push cut more muscular cuts of meat. There is usually a slope from the heel of the knife to the tip, causing the wrist to point down and the shoulder to raise when cutting. The blade size ranges from 210 mm to 270 mm, with a shorter blade being more nimble, a longer blade giving more slicing power, and a middle length for general use. Santoku (三德): (three virtues) The santoku, also called bunka bocho (culture knife), is a multipurpose knife primarily used for vegetables and fish. These knives are generally flatter than gyuto knives and have a less pointy tip. Since they are flatter, the wrist is in a more natural position and the shoulder does not need to be raised as high. These knives do not require as much room to cut. These are the most popular knives in most Japanese homes. The general size ranges from 165 mm to 180 mm.

Defining characteristics of Japanese kitchen knives are toughness (resistance to breaking), sharpness (smallest carbide and grain for smallest apex reduce force in cutting), edge life (an index for the length of time an edge will cut based on lack of edge rolling or chipping), edge quality (toothy with large carbides or refined with small carbides), and ease of sharpening (steel easily abrades in stone and forms a sharp edge). Although each steel has its own chemical and structural limits and characteristics, the heat treatment and processing can bring out traits both inherent to the steel and like its opposite counterparts. Stainless steel is generally tougher, less likely to chip, and less sharp than carbon. At the highest end, they retain an edge longer and are similarly sized in carbides to carbon steel. Variants include:
Powdered steel which has large carbides broken up by powdering process and sintered together under high pressure and temperature. Semi stainless which has a less chromium free to prevent rust of the iron and intermediate properties between carbon and stainless. Tool steel which is heavily alloyed and may or may not be stainless. Carbon steel is generally sharper, harder, more brittle, less tough, and becomes corroded more easily. White steel: purified from phosphorus and sulfur and unalloyed. Comes in variants 1, 2, and 3 (from higher to lower carbon). Blue steel: purified and alloyed with chromium and tungsten for edge life and toughness. Comes in variants 1, 2. Super blue steel: blue steel alloyed with molybdenum and vanadium and more carbon for longer edge life but a little more brittle.

A great deal of high quality Japanese cutlery originates from Sakai, the capital of samurai sword manufacturing since the 14th century. After the Meiji Restoration in 1868, the samurai were banned from carrying swords as part of an attempt to modernize Japan. Though a demand for military swords remained and some sword smiths still produced traditional samurai swords as art, the majority of sword smiths refocused their skill to cutlery production, following the cultural shift. The production of steel knives in Sakai began in the 16th century, when tobacco was introduced to Japan by the Portuguese and Sakai craftsmen started to make knives for cutting tobacco. The Sakai knife industry received a major boost from the Tokugawa shogunate (1603–1868), which granted Sakai a special seal of approval and enhanced its reputation for quality. Today, Seki, Gifu is considered the home of modern Japanese kitchen cutlery. Many major cutlery making companies are based in Seki, producing kitchen knives in both the traditional Japanese style and western styles, such as the gyuto and the santoku. Knives and swords are so integral to the city that it is home to the Seki Cutlery Association, the Seki Swordsmith Museum, the Seki Outdoor Knife Show, the October Cutlery Festival, and the Cutlery Hall. Most manufacturers are small family businesses where craftsmanship is more important than volume, and they typically produce fewer than a dozen knives per day.

Unlike western knives, Japanese knives are often only single ground, meaning that they are sharpened so that only one side holds the cutting edge. As shown in the image, some Japanese knives are angled from both sides, while others are angled only from one side with the other side of the blade being flat. It was traditionally believed that a single angled blade cuts better and makes cleaner cuts, though requiring more skill to use than a blade with a double beveled edge. Generally, the right hand side of the blade is angled, as most people use the knife with their right hand. Left handed models are rare and must be specially ordered and custom made. Some cooks choose to own two sets of knives for this reason. Japanese knives feature subtle variations on the chisel grind. Usually, the back side of the blade (i. e. the left side, for a right handed user) is concave to reduce drag and adhesion so the food separates more cleanly (this concave feature is known as ). The , used for cutting crab and other shellfish, has the grind on the opposite side (left side angled for right handed use), so that the meat is not cut when chopping the shell.