What I learned about Japanese Kitchen Knives so far

In 2023 I stayed in Bali for 2 months and was hooked filleting fish.

How one incident in Bali changed my life

On a plane coming back to Japan, I kept thinking about filleting fish.

So I got off at Narita and headed to Kappabashi to buy myself a good kitchen knife.

Since then, I now own 5 kitchen knives.

In Tsukiji, the master told me, when you fillet fish there are two things that are most important.

Learn to keep the knife sharp
Fillet the fish along the bones.

That's it.

The most important is 1.

Things become very easy when 1 is met, while it's a vicious cycle if 1 is not met.

When I improved on keeping the knife sharp day by day, other essentials came as I continue doing it.

I also have a few things I didn't know when I bought the knife which I wish I knew then, so I want to share that with you today.

Which Knife should I buy?

The obvious answer is, it depends on what you are going to do with it.

In Kappabashi, I told Makoto-san, the knife sommelier at Knife Shop TDI about my Bali trip and how I want to learn to fillet fish, and have just 1 good kitchen knife to go visit Bali again, which one is the one knife I should buy.

*By the way Makoto spoke very good English and had extensive knowledge about kitchen knives so It's good to try to find him if you're looking for one in Tokyo.

His answer was "gyuto"＝牛刀.

This is probably correct. The master at the fish shop in Tsukiji used just one knife, a big gyuto.

My current colleagues also use a big gyuto as well. Especially if you're filleting a lot of fish bigger than a seabream, gyuto comes at the top of the list for which should be your first knife.

But out of the gyuto, Makoto gave me a lot of options, so I was confused about which to choose.

Then he advised that "how you feel" when you hold the grip is more important than you'd think.

You're going to be holding it whenever you're using it. The first feeling that seems it suits you, is the knife to choose.

For me, most kitchen knives I grew up with had the same shape as Tojiro and it was the most comfortable holding it. So, I decided on that one.

After 2 years, I regret 0 that I bought this.

I love using it.

But it cost me 15,000JPY for one kitchen knife.

The sharpener cost me another 5000JPY, a total of 20,000JPY.

Was it worth it? Yes.

But will I buy the same knife if I time slip back to the day I bought it with what I know now?

No, I won't buy it.

Like I said, I regret 0.

I'm happy with the whole journey to get to where I am now, then the 20,000JPY is worth it.

Makoto was also "very, very right" in answering what I asked.

If I'm worried about rusting the knife, but hold a good knife that does relatively all the things needed to cook a fish dish in Bali,

Tojiro Gyuto is perfect. I had to fly to Hokkaido the next day, so I couldn't come back to Kappabashi for a while. So I needed a quick decision.

It's ideal if I were to take just one kitchen knife to cook a dish using fish in Bali.

But now I fillet hundreds of SMALL fish a day like Arakabu rockfish or iwashi sardines, and aji horse mackerel. So, the knife that suits that is a different type of knife.

15,000JPY Gyuto vs. 1000JPY stainless knife

In my current workplace, we fillet thousands of fish every day.

If the fish is small, ,then a ,1000JPY stainless knife we all bought at Trial Supermarket chain does a lot better job than my 15,000JPY gyuto.

It's smaller and easier to use to fillet small fishes like aji horse mackerel, etc.

Do they do a good job filleting the fish? Hell yes. Super fast, too.

But you would have to sharpen the 1,000JPY ones more frequently.

If it is a bigger fish, then there will be trouble here and there.

The 1000 JPY ones wear out quicker.

That's the con, but to fillet a seabream for example, the 1,000JPY is enough if you know what you're doing.

What are the chances of me filleting a fish bigger than seabream?

Even if there is, to fillet a bigger fish like yellowtail or tuna is still possible.

I get more practice using the 1,000JPY, too.

The gyuto will allow me to fillet it much easier and cleaner.

So the majority of the staff at the seafood section doesn't even carry a gyuto.

Only the experts that are in charge of big tuna, yellowtail, etc. do.

So what was the reaction when I brought my gyuto the first day to my current workplace?

"Woah, it's a little early to use that gyuto. Get some practice with a 1,000JPY one."

I quickly went to Trial to replace my gyuto with the 1,000JPY one for awhile lol.

*Note that I work in a local market that sells seafood for local consumers. If you work for example, a michelin restaurant, then the 1,000JPY knives might not be a good option.

Deba=出刃

I carry 3 deba knives now.

The blade is a lot thicker than Gyuto, which makes it easier to cut the fish head (bones) easily.

On my last day at Tsukiji, my colleague gave me his Kodeba(小出刃）which means "small deba knife" he used to use when he ran a kappo restaurant near Shibuya.

This one does an amazing job. For bigger fishes, it's a little more effort to fillet with a small deba. Once you know how to fillet fish, this becomes really handy to fillet with any fish.

Bigger Deba does a better job filleting bigger fishes

When I was still getting used to filleting, my skills weren't even par I could hurt my wrist cutting off the head of numerous fishes with smaller deba.

So I bought a bigger deba knife at Trial which cost about 1500JPY. I used it for a day, and never touched it again...

The moment my colleagues held the 1500JPY knife they said I wasted money.

We say "nanchatte deba" which translates to, fake deba.

It's ok. Part of the learning process and now I learned there are ones like that.

But after that my colleagues started to give me advice that Seki Magoroku series is amazing value and quality. I found it again at Trial, which cost me about 4500JPY.

Now most of the time, I use the kodeba, the smaller deba.

We need to fillet with a lot of fish, so speed is very important in our case.

But when it's a bigger fish smaller deba needs more strokes to fillet, which won't make the meat a straight line.

That's why I need a bigger deba to be able to fillet it in one stroke.

Steel vs. Stainless Steel

Steel or ”鋼=Hagane” cuts better and keeps its sharpness longer. But if you keep it even a little bit wet, it will rust. Performance is best but needs care. (for professionals)

Stainless steel（ステンレス） still cuts well, but the sharpness doesn't last as steel does. But　the pro is it rarely rusts. You can give an easy wipe to dry and it is unlikely to rust. Much easier care (suited for house use)

When you buy Gyuto it is usually stainless Steel. (there are steel ones, too)

When you buy Deba it's usually steel which will rust without careful care.

Knife with rust affects the taste of the fish.

It won't cut like it is supposed to either.

So after use, it's mandatory to wipe off water from the steel ones and keep dry,

while stainless steel is unlikely to rust.

So if you don't want to go through the "keeping dry" process, steel is a bad idea.

If you are using the knife for house use, you should get stainless steel.

That's what Makoto recommended to me, as I at the time wasn't sure if I will be filleting fish this much.

So here is the conclusion on which to buy, steel or stainless steel.

If it's for professional use, it's better to learn to take care of steel knives.
If it's for house use, stainless steel is a better bet (to start at least.)

Kataba or Ryoba

When you buy a kitchen knife, it is usually ryoba or double edged.

Most Western knives are double edged.

Japanese ones, especially the ones to fillet fish, it gives a smoother touch when you use Kataba or single edged.

I've tried both ryoba and kataba but it's much easier to do it with a Kataba knife.

If you don't mind taking good care of it, go with kataba/steel.

If you don't want to go through the maintenance, go with ryoba/stainless steel.

Do you want to show the knife?: Global

My aunt gave me the Global kitchen knife after I graduated university.

Global gyuto is a stainless steel, ryoba knife that is beautifully designed.

One of my favorite chefs has it, too. And he said, "I bought Global because I thought it makes me look good lol.”

Fair enough. He does make fabulous food that also looks good.

But again, Makoto told me in Kappabashi that although Global is one of the most good looking knives on the market that does a good job, Tojiro for example can cut much better and the blade will last longer.

The Global gyuto's thickness isn't enough which results in the knife to make a chip in the blade, which now makes good sense. I'm too scared to try. So it's my vegetable knife.

But using it at home parties makes it look professional and fancy, too.

And that's important, too.

If you're a traveling chef or cook a lot in events or parties, Global might be a good fit.

Maintenance

Another reason I like Seki Magoroku is that it can be a good quality practice steel knife.

Even if I'm careful, the knife still rusts due to seasonal or other incidents that affect the knife. You just got to learn from mistakes and figure out how to avoid it next time.

So you would use tools like sabitoru(The gray rectangular shaped object on the picture below) for example to remove the rust.

Then it's ideal to use a whetstone to sharpen and polish(on the left of the picture below, this one is the whetstone and polisher stuck together)

But sharpening from a whetstone has a learning curve.

If you don't do it right then it will make it worse and in the worst case scenario, it will chip.

It took me about 10 times to be able to sharpen the knife to par level.

I sharpen every day on a workday and 3 months in, there was a time when it cuts very well. But the next day, not as good. So this is the learning curve process.

When you buy an expensive steel knife and rust it or it doesn't cut properly, not a very happy moment.

So I learned that a lot of new fish mongers start practicing from cheaper steel knives like Seki Magoroku, or

Stainless steel knives can basically be a 1000JPY one from the supermarket.

Then you would learn to sharpen these and maintain them well.

Conclusion

So for me, Next time I go back to Bali, I will bring the Tojiro Stainless Steel Gyuto.

It does the job and no need for me to carry the heavy sharpeners nor worry about rusting the knife.

But when I use up the Tojiro Gyuto, then I will buy the gyuto from Seki Magoroku for half the price and use that one for general use.

When I'm really good at it I might buy a better knife that suits me, probably a Misono or Aritsugu, my current favorite knife shop. But til I'm really good, I will stick with my current ones and learn the craft with Seki Magoroku series.

Looking forward to sharing what I learned about knives 6 months in:)

Come join me on the journey at Karatsu.

I moved into Karatsu on March, 2025 from the variety of fish it has.
But I want to try to work with the local businesses and the government to show you hints of the samurai town.
It has great traditional content that is interesting, but it's still hidden.
It will be my pleasure to show you the charms of the samurai city as an experience that we all can learn from to better our lives.
If you are a foodie you must come to Karatsu!
【Which to Go】Traditional Edomae Sushi or Conveyer Belt Sushi?
What I learned in Tsukiji: Why you should go.

Where to stay in Karatsu:

松 Higher Class: Yoyokaku, Mizuno Ryokan
竹 Middle: Karatsu Seaside Hotel, Mercure Saga Karatsu Resort
梅 Budget: Hotel Karae, Business hotel Sola
Apartment style with kitchen: Hotel Nine States Karatsu

Where to eat in Karatsu:

松 Higher Class Sushi Tsukuda, Genyo, Unagi Takeya
竹 Middle Grilled Sazae Shellfish at Cape Hado, Manbo Undersea Restaurant
梅 Budget Ryukoken, Remonju

What to do in Karatsu:

Karatsu Ware x Sake Tasting experience
Squid Sashimi making at Yobuko Morning Market
Pottery experience at Nakano Tochigama Kiln
For other experiences in Karatsu, go to the Karatsu City Tourism Website.

Thanks for Reading!

Follow me on my journey discovering the best fish dishes of Japan. I will open a fish laboratory in my akiya abandoned house I'm going to live soon.

I would love to connect with people interested in fishes, cooking, and Japanese food. Share me your interests, and let's hang out!

This will be my long game, and I look forward to sharing what happens.

My Instagram

Search This Blog

Engaging in the San Sebastian of Japan, Karatsu.