Best Japanese Kitchen Knives part 5

Best Japanese Chef Knives

The funayuki
The funayuki was originally used on fishing boats, mainly as a light fillet knife to test the quality of the catch, to clean and fillet fish, and to prepare food.
Smaller and shorter than a yanagiba (the sheet of choice for preparing sashimi and other types of sushi, and for cutting raw fish and seafood), it has a delicate and delicate leaf that requires an expert hand to use it without breaking the edge.

The measurements of the blade vary from 5.5 to 8.5 inches, and can be as high as 2 inches from the heel to the spine.
The cutting edge can be beveled single or double, quite flat with a minimum belly and a very thin cross section, which makes it ideal for delicate and precise tasks.
A cat of all trades, the smaller funayukis are often used as knives for peeling and cutting, as well as for the preparation and filleting of fish.
A knife useful for multiple tasks, can be a little like a princess due to the ultra thin and fragile blade.

The Hankotsu
The hankotsu is a small and resistant knife that is used for light butchery. It is ideal for tasks such as boning, trimming meat, getting between bones, breaking poultry and entangling a grill.
Hankotsu Japanese boning knife. Photo by Mike Quinn.
These feature a sharp, pointed tip that can be inserted into a cut and run along a bone, connective tissue or fat. The hankotsu also has a short height, about 1 to 1.5 inches, which makes the blade agile enough to turn and maneuver easily while cutting.
A unique feature of the hankotsu is the avant-garde near the heel area, which does not actually have a heel.

Depending on the brand, anywhere from a quarter to a third of the length of the edge at the end of the heel remains unsharpened. This provides a great advantage for any scraping that needs to be done and offers a bit of protection for the fingers against sliding.
Keep in mind that without a heel, there is also no protection for the fingers.
The length of the blade is generally about 6 inches and the edge is technically double beveled, but is ground at an asymmetric angle, at a ratio of approximately 90/10 to the right side.
If you are left-handed, this may not be the best option. It's going to be uncomfortable for vertical boning, unless you order one for left-handed use.
Hankotsus also requires special care when sharpening and sharpening. All the sharpening action takes place in the major angle, or in the right edge, while the smallest angle is only touched to eliminate the burrs.
The hankotsu has a thick spine and a muscular cross section, and you will find that these do not have the same amount of flexion as the western-style boning knives.
Highly resistant in construction, they generally have a sturdy handle to provide a secure grip and maximum control.
The honesuki
The Honesuki is another boning knife, but this one is designed for the specific task of breaking down the birds and cutting the joints, but not for cutting bones.
With a distinctive triangular profile that extends from the heel to the tip, the blade is quite stiff with little flex and a perfectly straight edge. The length of the blade is 5.5 to 8 inches and measures approximately 1.5 inches from the heel to the spine.

Like Hankotsu, traditional Honorukis have an asymmetrical edge on the right side. But more recently, honesukis have been made available with a bevel equal to 50/50 on both sides, which makes these models a good choice for left-handed users.
Due to the compact size of this knife, it is also useful as a utility knife.