Western vs Japanese style Kitchen knives

by Oishya team

The fundamental difference between Western style knives and traditional Japanese ones is the fact, that the Western knife is sharpened on both sides of the blade. They therefore have what is called a symmetrical bevel.

Western knives are sharpened with larger angles due to the softer steel. They are therefore not as sharp as Japanese kitchen knives.

Generally, Japanese knives are lighter, feel more balanced in the hand and feature steel that is harder, thinner and able to hold an edge for a longer time. These are exactly the reasons they're so popular among professional chefs, and why they're perfect for the precision tasks chefs do all day every day.

Why do chefs prefer Japanese knives?

Luckily, you can have the best of two worlds and go for Japanese "WA" knife, a westernised type. Such knives have double bevel symmetrical edges so they are easy to sharpen. They are very light and easy to manoeuvre too. 

Our signature Sakai Kyuba knives have the best of two worlds: They are the Japanese WA types. They are light, super sharp and they look beautiful too!