Japanese Fish and Butchery Knives
Japanese fish and butchery knives are the specialist blades for breaking down proteins: the thick deba for filleting whole fish and cutting through heads and small bones, the stiff triangular honesuki for boning poultry, and butcher knives for larger cuts. Each is built to do one heavy job cleanly. Our range runs to 17 of them, from $139.95.
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$492.99
$579.95Nakagawa Left Hand Ginsan Honesuki 150 mm Kasumi Ebony
$492.99$579.95 -
Types of fish and butchery knife
| Knife type | Detail |
|---|---|
| Deba | Thick single-bevel knife for filleting fish and small bones |
| Honesuki | Stiff triangular boning knife for poultry and joints |
| Butcher | Sturdy blades for portioning larger cuts of meat |
About these knives
We stock 17 of them, from $139.95 to $689.95, across deba, honesuki and butcher styles. These are heavy, specialist blades built for filleting, boning and portioning rather than everyday prep, so keep them for their job and store the carbon-steel ones dry.
How to choose a fish or butchery knife
Match the knife to the protein: a deba if you break down whole fish, using its weight to cut through heads and small bones; a honesuki if you portion poultry, using the stiff tip to work around joints. Keep both off large mammal bones and frozen food, and sharpen a single-bevel deba on a whetstone suited to its grind.
Fish knife questions
What knife do I use to break down fish?
A deba is the traditional choice: its thick, heavy single-bevel blade fillets whole fish and cuts through heads and small bones. A honesuki also handles smaller fish thanks to its fine tip.
What is the difference between a deba and a honesuki?
A deba is a thick, heavy knife for fish and small bones; a honesuki is a lighter, stiff triangular knife for poultry and joints. The deba chops through fish heads, the honesuki works around joints.
Can Japanese fish knives cut through bone?
They cut through fish bones and poultry joints, not large mammal bones. Beef and pork bone will chip the hard, fine edge, so use a heavier Western cleaver for those.
Related Japanese knife ranges
Related ranges: slicing knives, wooden saya sheaths and whetstones. For more, see the deba and honesuki compared.