These Are the 10 Best Japanese Knives We’ve Found After Years of Testing

Knife nerds (like us!) go ham over the minutiae of blades: bevel angles, carbon percentage, carbon type, esoteric blade shapes. There’s so much to discuss regarding this essential cooking tool. And one major sub-category that positively fizzes with excited chatter is Japanese knives. The sheer breadth and variety of Japanese knife styles can be overwhelming: deba, gyuto, kentsuke, honesuki, nakiri…and that’s just scratching the surface. 

But, luckily, we’ve reviewed tons of Japanese blades throughout the years—many of which our editors use daily. Here are 10 of the best Japanese knives we’ve tested, whether you want an all-purpose workhorse or a specialized blade. 

What We Learned 

What Is a Japanese-Style Knife? 

There is no hard-and-fast answer to this question since there are many kinds of Japanese knives. Japanese-style knives can even be made by Western brands, which further muddies the definition. (A note on this: Some of our favorite knives, such the Tojiro petty knife, aren’t necessarily Japanese-style but are made by Japanese brands.) However, they do often have a few commonalities, including being made of high-carbon steel and having a slightly different shape than most Western-style knives. 

While deba and nakiri are traditional Japanese blades with unique features, some Japanese knives are modeled after Western-style ones. Take the gyuto, for example. This all-purpose knife is similar in length and shape to a Western-style chef’s knife, with a long blade and a belly that curves up toward the tip. The difference often lies in the weight and extremity of the curve, as well as the bevel and material. Gyutos often have an asymmetrical bevel, meaning one side of the blade is more angled than the other. (Check out our chef’s knife review for a good visual.) Western chef’s knives, on the other hand, often sport a double-beveled edge. Paired with softer stainless steel, the knife is easy to get back into shape with a few swipes on a honing rod. 

What Are the Different Kinds of Japanese Knives?

There is a huge variety of Japanese knives, but here I will focus on the ones we have reviewed and written about. 

Gyutos, as I mentioned, are Japanese-style chef’s knives. Like Western-style chef’s knives, they are versatile blades, usually between six and 12 inches long. Often made of high carbon steel, they’re super sharp and hold their edge longer than stainless steel blades. They tend to have asymmetrical bevels, so when you choose a knife, make sure it matches your handedness—if you’re a righty, look for a blade with a higher left bevel, and vice versa if you’re a lefty. 

Another classic Japanese blade is the santoku. This knife is shaped like a sheep’s foot, and if you don’t know what that looks like, it’s flat on the bottom with a top that tapers downward. It employs a push-cut motion rather than a rocking slice, since the cutting edge isn’t curved. Santoku were created as a more approachable version of the gyuto. As Josh Donald of Bernal Cutlery told us in our santoku review: “Professional cooks who were preparing Western-influenced yoshoku food readily adopted the gyuto, but home cooks did not. It was too big and too different from the nakiri, deba, and yanagi home cooking setup. Knife-makers' response was to make a knife that would be more acceptable—smart and modern but not too much of a diversion from their mother's knife kit.”

Nakiri knives are rectangular blades that were designed to chop and dice vegetables. Since the blade only curves up near the blunt end, the cutting motion of these knives is quite different from the rock-chop of many Western-style blades. Instead, a push-cut motion is required, like with a santoku. 

Deba knives are specially designed for filleting fish. And while you might envision a thin, bendy filet knife, they couldn’t be more different. Instead, the deba is a thick piece of metal with a severe bevel on one side (called a chisel edge). This weighty, sharp knife lets you cut close to the bone and has enough heft to cut through bone, too. 

Another task-specific knife is the honesuki, which is a Japanese boning knife that’s often used for poultry. The pointy edge and triangular-shaped blade has a single bevel, like a deba, and slides neatly along bones and through joints. 

The Criteria: What to Look for in a Japanese Knife 

What to look for varies with blade style and use case, but there are some basic traits you’ll want. First, it’s gotta be sharp and, ideally, it holds its edge for a long time. The handle should be comfortable to hold and use, too. All of the knives we’ve listed here and tested have these qualities. 

The Best Japanese Knives 

What we liked: This is a super sharp knife that keeps a keen edge even after frequent use. The lightweight blade is balanced with a compact handle, lending precision and control to each cutting stroke. It’s a knife that many of our editors (like me, hi!) own and reach for over other blades. 

What we didn’t like: It has an asymmetrical bevel, which can take some getting used to. It’s also pricey. 

Key Specs

• Materials: Composite wood handle and stain-resistant Swedish steel blade
• Blade length: 8.2 inches
• Weight: 5.6 ounces

What we liked: Similar to the UX10, this all-rounder of a knife was easy to wield and incredibly sharp thanks to its carbon steel blade. The narrow handle was easy to grip, too. It’s also reasonably priced for a high-quality Japanese blade. 

What we didn’t like: Carbon steel knives require a little more care than stainless steel. They need to be thoroughly dried and maybe even rubbed with some mineral oil to prevent rusting. While they hold their edge longer than stainless steel knives, they do require more care when sharpening. 

Key Specs

• Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Materials: Composite wood, Swedish carbon steel
• Handle length: 4.5 inches
• Blade length: 8.5 inches

What we liked: The faceted handle made this knife easy to grip and maneuver, an essential quality for a heavy blade. It deftly sliced filets from fish and had enough heft to cut through bones, too. This is a great choice for someone new to using deba knives; it’s made of stainless steel, which is more forgiving and easier to maintain than carbon steel. 

What we didn’t like: The handle was a little large. Stainless steel dulls more quickly than carbon steel, though you can use a honing rod to realign the blade edge. 

Key Specs

• Handle length: 4.75 inches
• Blade length: 150 millimeters (6 inches)
• Spine thickness: 5 millimeters at widest point
• Weight: 8.6 ounces
• Materials: Molybdenum vanadium stainless steel, composite handle

What we liked: This is a super sharp santoku that’s great for a variety of tasks, including chopping vegetables and breaking down poultry. At six ounces, it was the perfect weight, both agile and hefty enough to slice cleanly.  

What we didn’t like: The handle was a bit large and slippery, but other than that it’s an excellent knife. 

Key Specs

• Weight: 6 ounces
• Blade length: 6.5 inches
• Handle length: 4.5 inches
• Materials: ​Sub-zero tempered steel 

What we liked: This sharp, stainless steel santoku has a slightly curved blade, making it a great introduction to this style of knife. It swiftly cut through chicken joints without snagging on the skin and tackled hardy root vegetables and tender chives equally well. Since it’s stainless steel, it’s easier to maintain. 

What we didn’t like: It was a little blade-heavy, which made it more difficult to control. 

Key Specs

• Weight: 6.8 ounces
• Blade length: 6.5 inches
• Handle length: 4.75 inches
• Materials: Stainless steel

What we liked: This spiffy rectangular blade is a fantastic knife for chopping onions, slicing peppers, or even cutting boneless meat. It’s inexpensive, sailed through our tests, and is an editor favorite. 

What we didn’t like: There wasn’t much to not like, honestly. 

Key Specs

• Weight: 7.1 ounces
• Handle material: Pakkawood (a wood and plastic resin composite)
• Blade material: VG-10 stainless steel core with 3-ply clad construction
• Blade length: 6.5 inches
• Handle length: 4.75 inches

What we liked: This nakiri has a slightly curved blade, making it easier to get used to the push-cut motion. It’s thin, nimble, and sharp, making it a great daily driver of a prep knife. 

What we didn’t like: While we like it, the all-metal handle isn’t for everyone. This knife is on the pricier side, too. 

Key Specs

• Weight: 6.8 ounces
• Handle & blade material: Cromova 18 stainless steel (a blend of chromium, molybdenum, and vanadium that is exclusive to Global)
• Blade length: 7 inches
• Handle length: 4.75 inches

What we liked: A paring knife may be a kitchen underdog, but this Japanese steel beauty will put it back on your radar. It stayed sharp throughout our many rounds of tests, including slicing tomatoes, hulling strawberries, mincing shallots, and supreming citrus. The blade is somewhat shaped like a santoku, with a downward tapered tip, making it particularly adept at mincing alliums. 

What we didn’t like: Since the blade is high in carbon steel, it is prone to chipping if used improperly. 

Key Specs

• Weight: 2 ounces
• Materials: Cobalt alloy steel core, 13 chrome stainless steel coating, black laminated reinforced wood
• Blade length: 3.5 inches

What we liked: This heavy, rigid blade operates similarly to a deba knife, with the heft helping it cut close to bones and cleave through joints. The pointed tip also lets you make deep, precise cuts, like when removing chicken breasts from the chest plate. 

What we didn’t like: Having a separate knife solely for butchering poultry might not be necessary for everyone. It also takes an experienced hand to sharpen correctly. 

Key Specs

• Weight: 6.1 ounces
• Materials: Cobalt alloy steel, 13 chrome stainless steel, black laminated reinforced wood
• Blade length: 6 inches

What we liked: While a bread slicer isn’t necessarily a Japanese-style knife, Tojiro is a Japanese brand and we have long loved this serrated slicer. It’s incredibly sharp out of the box, and the long, straight blade cuts decisively through crusty boules and soft loaves alike. It’s also reasonably priced. 

What we didn’t like: It’s a thin, bendy knife, so it did struggle a little to remove the skin from a hardy butternut squash—but we’re splitting hairs here. 

Key Specs

• Weight: 105 grams
• Blade length: 9.88 inches 
• Overall length: 14.75 inches 

FAQs

What kind of Japanese knife is the best?

There is no best blade since it depends on your experience and needs. A gyuto is a great all-purpose knife that’s akin to a Western chef’s knife. A sharp santoku or nakiri are fantastic options for produce prep. There are also highly specialized knives, like deba and honesuki, which are used for fileting fish and breaking down poultry, respectively. 

What makes Japanese knives different?

There are a variety of factors, including blade material, bevel, and shape. It’s difficult to generalize since Japanese blades are a diverse bunch with different qualities. 

Why We’re the Experts

• Grace Kelly is a senior editor at Serious Eats, where she’s been reviewing kitchen gadgets, including knives, for nearly three years. 
• She’s reviewed nakiri, deba, and santoku knives, and uses a variety of Japanese blades for her daily food prep.