JAPANESE KNIVES & Asian Style Knives

Genuine handmade Japanese knives are something very special for many professional and ambitious hobby cooks. Santoku, Shotoh, or Gyutoh are just a few of the melodious Japanese knife names. MIYABI knives are traditionally hand-forged and are manufactured according to strict ZWILLING quality standards.

Quality Japanese style knives made of Damascus steel

Japanese cooking knives are often equated with damask knives. This is due to the centuries-old traditional blacksmithing art of Japanese knife making. Japanese kitchen knives are often made of Damascus steel, but the steel is not the criterion that makes a knife a Japanese knife, but the beautiful blade design.

The basis for high-quality chef's knives in perfect quality is steel. Japanese knives are characterized by a very high degree of hardness, excellent toughness, and a particularly homogeneous and crystalline structure of the blades. Due to the high degree of hardness, the knives are incredibly sharp and retain this sharpness. If the knives lose their sharpness, you can learn how to sharpen them properly in our Inspiration section.

Japanese variety: A chef's knife for every purpose

In the ZWILLING Online Shop, you will find a large selection of high-quality Japanese kitchen knives. In the Japanese kitchen, there is a knife for almost every purpose. In the following we present three knives:

Santoku knife (Japanese utility knife)

The Santoku knife is the universal knife in Japanese cuisine. The lines of the handle and blade are particularly characteristic, forming a continuous line on the blunt top side. The wide blade extends far beyond the handle, allowing enough room for the fingers of the hand holding it. Santoku translates as "three advantages" and refers to the versatile possibilities of use. The shape of the blade allows it to be used in a flat cradle cut as well as for quick chopping.

Shoto knife (Japanese vegetable knife)

Shotoh means small knife and is often called "Petty knife". This name comes from the French "Petit". It is used for small foods like fruits or vegetables. In Japan, this knife is one of the standard knives and is the most sold blade shape there next to the Santoku knife.

Gyutoh knife (Japanese meat knife)

In Japan, the Gyutoh stands for the meat knife and is mainly used to cut meat finely. The round blade shape also allows cutting in cradle cut. In Germany, the Gyutoh is universally used as a particularly sharp chef's knife.

Other Japanese knives are e.g. Chutoh, Shotoh, or the Sakimaru Takobiki, which is also known as Sushi and Sashimi knife because of its long blade.

Proper cleaning and care of Japanese knives

For Japanese chef's knives, as for all kitchen knives, the basic principle applies: Never put the knife in the dishwasher for cleaning! For re-sharpening it is best to use a good whetstone from the ZWILLING Online Shop. Important: This does not apply to knives with a serrated edge.

Buy Japanese Chef Knives for all your needs online at the ZWILLING Online Shop.