Usuba knives

Usuba is one of the three knives without which it is impossible to practice traditional Japanese washoku cuisine. Usuba literally means a thin blade. Its shape allows you to cut vegetables in an exceptionally sublime and delicate way without crushing their cells, which significantly affects their taste. Without this knife, it would be impossible to perform katsuramuki, i.e. spectacular cutting of a radish or other vegetable into a transparent sheet. Usuba is a quite high knife which is usually sharpened on one side, the core is most often made of hard carbon steel forged with other more delicate steel. The handle of this knife is most often made of wood, and the kakumaki ring is made of buffalo bone or plastic.

It should be mentioned that the use of carbon steel means that you need to wipe the knife during work to avoid oxidation reactions, especially when cutting sour fruit and pickled vegetables. Usuba is a highly specialized knife and does not work well as a general purpose knife. The most commonly used length is 21 or 24 cm. It is produced in two styles: The Kansai style is characterized by the back of the knife which arcs down to its tip, which allows for very precise cuts. The Kanto style usuba is completed with a straight cut of the spine. In both cases, the edge of the knife is completely straight, which cuts the product to the very end without the need to move it back and forth. There are two-sided sharpened knives on the market that will perfectly replace the santoku.