Japanese Kitchen Knife Terminology

Ago - Japanese term for the knife chin - G on the Diagram, the corner spot of the blade heel - Hamato - F on the Diagram. Awase - Generic Japanese term for clad knives. Softer layer Jigane is clad over hard steel core Hagane. There are three types of a ase! San-"ai, #arikomi and $i-"ai. BA - %lso Ha. Japanese term for knife blade. Bocho - Japanese term for knife, ho ever bocho isn&t 'sed by itself, as 's'al prefi(ed ith partic'lar knife type, e.g. nakiri bocho. See also Hocho. E - Japanese term for knife handle. Emoto - )n Japanese means neck - * on the Diagram. +efers to the narro section of the blade bet een the blade heel and the handle or machi if it is present, , on the Diagram. Hado - Japanese term for the c'tting edge. Hamato - Japanese term for the knife heel, the last fe centimeters of the edge ne(t to the handle, F on the Diagram. Hamon - Typically avy line, formed on "i-'-Honyaki knives, d'e to differential tampering. Hamo No Honekiri - The slicing process of the Hamo.pike conger/, hich has a lot of small bones, so removal is not really an option. )nstead incisions are made every 0.12mm, or less, to c't bones into small pieces, th's softening 'p the flesh. 3s'ally performed ith a dedicated knife - Hamokiri. Hagane - )nner layer of hard steel forming c'tting edge of the blade, s'pported by o'ter layer of soft - Jigane in Japanese knives. Hirazukuri - Sashimi slicing techni4'e, the knife is held perpendic'lar to the fish and p'lled back at appro(imately 526 angle. Hocho - Japanese term for the kitchen knife. See also 7ocho. Honba Tsuke - The process of grinding the real edge on the knife shipped from the man'fact'rer itho't one. %rits'g' knives for e(ample are shipped like that. +ead %rits'g' 899mm Honkas'mi

:anagiba *nife +evie . See also 3ra-;shi. Hon Kasumi - Highest grade *as'mi. See also %rits'g' Hon*as'mi :anagi +evie . Honyaki - Translates as <tr'e-forged< from Japanese. 3nlike San"ai knives that have soft layer over harder core Honyaki knives are constr'cted of single piece of metal, as 's'al very hard, highcarbon steel. 7eca'se of this they are diffic'lt to forge th's their high price. Honyakis have higher hardness and edge holding compared to other types. 7eca'se the steel is so hard sharpening this type of knife is rather challenging. %lso beca'se of high hardness honyakis are more prone to breaking, chipping and cracking. ;n the positive side, they can be sharpened to incredibly thin and sharp edges that ill hold very long time and c'tting performance ill be very high. +ead #atanabe 1=9mm Honyaki Gy'to +evie . Hawatari - Japanese term for blade length, % on the Diagram. !shime - +o'ghly translates into "ock #urface. % type of r'stic finish, similar to *'ro 3chi, b't ro'gher, ith more te(t're. >ery rare in kitchen knives. "oritaka started 'sing it in some of his knives. Jigane - Soft, o'ter layer of steel s'pporting inner hard core Hagane of the knife. Kaeri - Japanese term for 7'rr. Kakumaki - Japanese term for a bolster collar or fer'le. Traditionally made of ater b'ffalo horn, altho'gh both, more e(pensive and cheaper materials can be 'sed, ) on the Diagram. This ord isn&t 'sed often, *ats'ra or *a-'ra is more pop'lar. Kanoko giri - Similar to "ats'kasa-Giri. 3s'ally done ith :anagiba. ?'ts are made ith the knife perpendic'lar to the board. Kasumi - )n Japanese kas'mi means mist. +efers to rather ha-y looks of softer @igane ne(t to hard, shiny hagane. Aresent on $i"ai style forged knives, i.e. single beveled % ase knives. See also San-"ai. Katsura $ % - %lso Kazura. "ore idely 'sed term for the ferr'le or *ak'maki. ) on the Diagram. Kazura $ % - See *ats'ra.

Kirenaga - Japanese term 'sed to describe knife edge holding ability. )n other ords, ho long it stays sharp. ;bvio'sly, higher kirenaga is better. Kiri - &utter in Japanese, apparently derived from the ord c't. Nakiri, 'don Kiri, etc. Kiriba - ,iterally means blade path - D on the Diagram. +efers to the inclined s'rface that starts at Shinogi.7 on the Diagram/, incl'ding the c'tting edge. Kissaki - Japanese term for blade tip - $ on the Diagram. Kitae(i - "'lti ,ayer Jigane. ;ften referred as damasc's. See Shigef'sa *itae@i Gy'to *nife revie and Shigef'sa *itae@i "iroshi Deba *itchen *nife revie for photos and detailed information. Koba - Japanese term for secondary bevel. Kuro 'chi - Type of r'stic finish on Japanese knives. 7lades aren&t finished e(cept for the edge, bl'e blackish color. See #atanabe $akiri *nife +evie and Takeda ?leaver +evie . )achi - $arro section of metal bet een the notch at the end of the neck of the blade - , on the Diagram, emoto.* on the Diagram/ and the handle, appro(imately 2mm long. Fo'nd on many Japanese knives, never on estern knives. )n general hen the knife has machi, the specified blade length incl'des all of the knife blade 'p to the machi notch, not @'st from the blade %go.chin, G on the Diagram to the tip. %ltho'gh, some makers do not incl'de machi in blade length. )n the end, it&s better to ask if 'ns're. )atsukasa giri - ,iterally *ine &one &ut. 3s'ally done ith :anagiba. Fish sliceis c't ith angle to create lattice pattern. )ine - %lso m'ne. Japanese term for blade spine - " on the Diagram. )izu Honyaki - +efers to differentially tampered Honyaki knives. 7lade spine is covered ith m'd, hich is allo ed to dry, then the hole thing is heated to the desired temperat're and 4'enched in ater. Spine is softer and springy, giving the blade certain degree of fle(ibility. )okume - Japanese term for ood grain pattern Jigane. That incl'des not only @igane, b't vario's parts of the knife, b'tt cap, bolster, etc. See %rits'g' #ood Aattern :anagiba revie . )une - %lso mine. Japanese term for blade spine - " on the

Diagram. Nakago - Japanese term for knife tang, portion of the metal to hich the handle is attached. Naruto giri - ,iterally #piral Tide &ut. 3s'ally done ith :anagiba. "ainly 'sed for s4'id. #ith the knife perpendic'lar to the board, first, parallel c'ts are made onthe s4'are piece of s4'id, then the piece is t'rned over, rotated B96 and rolled, ell yo' can insert Shiso leaves in there. Ni )ai - % ase type forging for the single bevel knife. ?ladding is applied only on the c'tting edge side of the blade, 3ra.back side/ is hagane, or hard steel. See $i-"ai on the diagram +mote - Cdge side of the single bevel knife. See also 3ra, 3ras'ki. #an mai - Techni4'e of elded steel that laminates the hard core of the blade ith softer o'ter layers. 7asically, this is % ase on both sides of the Hagane, b't not over the spine. See San-"ai on the diagram. ;ccasionally #arikomi is 'sed interchangeably ith San-"ai, b't it is a different type of a ase.cladding/ as yo' can see from the diagram. #aya - #ooden sheath, or scabbard for the knife. %s 's'al, identical ood is 'sed for the handle and saya. #hiki Bocho - )mperial co'rt or Shinto Shrine ceremony hen the fish is filleted itho't to'ching it ith hands, 'sing special knife called Gishiki-7ocho and silver chopsticks. Shiki-bocho has been performed in some form or other probably since the late $ara period, and certainly since the early "'romachi period. Th's it o'ld be acc'rate to say that the knife has likely been in 'se for bet een D99 and 0999 years. #hinogi - Japanese term for the ridge line.7 on the Diagram/ formed by the flat portion of the blade and the blade path - *iriba - D on the Diagram. #hiso - )n estern orld it&s called Japanese Basil. #hiso leaves have distinc, delicate flavor. 3sed in may dishes, incl'ding sashimi, sala, omlet, etc. #ogizukuri - Sashimi slicing techni4'e, the knife is held at aro'nd 596 angle from fish and p'lled back. #uminagashi - Description for damasc's pattern knife. See *obayashi S'minagashi $akiri Hocho +evie .

'ra - 7ack side of the single bevel knife. Typically, on Japanese single bevel knives 'ra is concave, not flat, and referred as 3ras'ki. See also ;mote. 'ra +shi - Japanese term for flattening the back side of the single bevel 'ras'ki type edge. Urasuki - ?oncaved s'rface on the back side of the single beveled Japanese knives. Helps to red'ce the drag d'ring c'tting. The last edge on the *nife Cdge Grind Type Diagram sho s concave back of 'ras'ki edge grind type. Usuizukuri - Sashimi slicing techni4'e, same as Sogi-'k'ri, e(cept the slices are E0mm thick, transl'cent slices. 'tsu - ?'tting method, combination of p'sh c'tting, vertically do n and slight for ard motion. "ain c'tting techni4'e ith 3s'ba and $akiri. ,arikomi - Type of cladding, basically % ase ith Jigane applied on the sides and spine of the Hagane, see #arikomi on the diagram. ;ccasionally #arikomi is 'sed interchangeably ith San-"ai, b't it is a different type of a ase.cladding/ as yo' can see from the diagram. -aeizukuri - Sashimi slicing techni4'e, same as Hira-'k'ri, 'sed mostly on to'gher skinned or te(t'red fish. Slices are narro er -ae in Japanese refers to something m'ltilayer or do'ble.

Thanks . &redits
Special thanks to Takeshi %oki of %frames Tokyo for help

ith

Japanese terminology. Shinichi #atanabe for help ith Japanese terminology, providing photos, and for his e(cellent knives too. Hiromits' $o-aki - %'thor of the book Japanese Kitchen Kni/es.

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