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Usuba bōchō (薄刃包丁 — lit. "thin blade kitchen knife") is the traditional vegetable knife for the professional Japanese chef. Like other Japanese professional knives,usuba are chisel ground, and have a single bevel on the front side, and have a hollow groundurasuki on the back side.Usuba characteristically have a straight edge, with little or no curve, and are wide or tall blade in height, to allow knuckle clearance when chopping on acutting board. Ausubas is relatively thin compared to other knives, required for cutting through firm vegetables without cracking them. Due to its height and straight edge, they are also used for specialized cuts such askatsuramuki, shaving a vegetable cylinder into a thin sheet.[1]
Theusuba blade is generally between 15 and 24 centimetres (6 and 9 inches) long.
Theusuba bōchō is used by professionals and differs from the relatednakiri bōchō, which is preferred for home use. While the blade of anakiri has a double bevel, theusuba is sharpened only from one side, a style known askataba in Japanese. Thiskataba style edge gives better cuts and allows for the cutting of thinner slices than theryōba used fornakiri, but requires more skill to use. The highest qualitykataba blades have a slight depression (urasuki) on the flat side. The sharpened side is usually the right side for a right-handed use of the knife, but knives are available sharpened for left-handed use. Theusuba is heavier than anakiri, although still much lighter than adeba bōchō.[2]
There are several variations of theusuba bōchō based on regional styles. TheKantō variation has a square blunt tip, making it appear like a smallmeat cleaver. Thekamagata-style variation, fromKansai, has a spine that drops down to the edge at the tip — asheep's foot tip — allowing theusuba to do fine delicate work. However, this tip is also delicate and can be broken easily. These are particularly popular withKyoto chefs, who use thekamagata usuba for most of their work. Since Kyoto is landlocked, they rely more heavily on vegetables thanTokyo, making theusuba the quintessential knife of professional chefs there. In Kyoto cuisine, the versatile tip allows for intricate cuts and preparations.[3]
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