The Traditional Japanese Knife You Need For Cutting Sushi

Cutting sushi requires precision and as little disturbance as possible to the structure of your seafood. The traditional yanagiba knife is the perfect kitchen tool for the task. A time-honored Japanese blade with over 400 years of history, it has a proven track record of maintaining the ideal tenderness and gleaming appearance in sushi and sashimi. Emerging during the Edo period (which ended in 1868 after a 265-year run), the yanagiba has a unique shape that takes inspiration from katanas, swords which were historically popular with samurai.

The yanagiba (meaning willow blade, like the tree's leaves) is sometimes called the shobu (translating to iris leaf — again, for its appearance) in Western Japan. The supreme thinness and sharpness of this blade is what makes it so ideal for the art of preparing sushi. It's immensely useful for the home sushi chef and, at the entry level, can be found for under $50. However, there are versions made by artisans who have been passing down knife-making skills for generations that can cost well over $1,000. 

There are a couple of unique characteristics that make the yanagiba knife the top choice for sushi chefs across the globe. The main one being the blade design; it's a single bevel blade that is straight and sharp on the right side and barely concave on the left. The slimness and length of the blade lends itself to cuts that are long single strokes. This design allows for a razor-thin cut yielding a slice of fish that won't get stuck to the concave side of the blade. This is the secret to all that beautifully presented sashimi and sushi that you see in the top sushi restaurants.

Learning good knife technique, which takes practice, is also essential for getting the perfect cuts of fish. It's important to keep in mind that this is not a knife you want to use for downward pressing. Leave that to the deba knife, another traditional Japanese blade that's used to cut off the fish's head. Most home cooks will buy their sushi grade fish already portioned out, so the cutting motion should be a long pulling cut that requires very little force using mostly the weight of the knife. If you can perfect this technique, you will do minimal damage to the cell walls of the fish which will keep the fish fresh for longer.

The yanagiba knife comes in a range of sizes between 8 inches and 14 inches. There's also a range of handle styles, from Western grips to Japanese wa-handles. The blade material is usually either stainless steel or carbon steel, with the latter retaining its edge for longer at the cost of being higher maintenance. The best way to decide on a yanagiba knife is to go to a knife shop in person to handle the knives and pick one that feels best to you.

If going in person isn't an option, online shops carry a wide variety and price range of yanagiba knives. A good entry level choice that has been extensively reviewed is the Kai Seki Magoroku Kinju AK-1106 240mm Yanagiba knife. Once you get your new knife, it'll be important to keep it sharp. You can sharpen your blade at home with a whetstone or many knife sellers will also offer this service for a small cost.