Japanese Honesuki Knives
A honesuki is the Japanese boning knife, a stiff, triangular blade with a reinforced tip built to break down poultry, small meats and fish. Where a Western boning knife flexes, the honesuki stays rigid, so it drives cleanly through joints and cartilage and gives real control around bone. It is the knife cooks reach for to portion a chicken or fillet a bird in minutes. Our range runs to 6 honesuki knives, from $139.95.
-
$492.99
$579.95Nakagawa Left Hand Ginsan Honesuki 150 mm Kasumi Ebony
$492.99$579.95
Honesuki knife specifications
| Specification | Detail |
|---|---|
| Blade type | Stiff triangular Japanese boning knife |
| Typical length | 145 to 165 mm |
| Edge | Single bevel (90/10) or double bevel (50/50) |
| Best for | Breaking down poultry, joints, cartilage and fish |
| Care note | Never twist the blade when wedged in bone |
| Steel options | Stainless (VG10) and carbon (White, Blue) |
Honesuki knife facts
We stock 6 honesuki knives, from $139.95 to $689.95, mostly around 145 to 165 mm and in single- and double-bevel grinds. The stiff triangular blade is built for butchery: portioning poultry, working through joints and cartilage, and filleting smaller fish. Keep it off large bones and use the tip, not a twist, to work around joints.
How to use a honesuki knife
Use a honesuki to work around bone with the reinforced tip and stiff heel. Find the joint, push the point through the cartilage, then slide the edge along the bone to separate the meat, letting the rigid blade give you leverage. Never twist or torque the knife while it is wedged in bone, as the stiff edge can chip; keep it dry and sharpen it on a whetstone to suit its grind.
Honesuki knives in stock
Hatsukokoro Kurogane Blue 2 Kurouchi 150mm Double Bevel Black Chacate — $139.95
Hatsukokoro x Myojin Shirasagi White 2 Boning Knife 150mm — $239.95
Nigara SG2 Kurouchi Tsuchime Double-bevel (Boning knife) 150mm Black Cha — $369.95
Yoshimi Kato SG2 Tsuchime Double-bevel 150mm — $489.95
Nakagawa Left Hand Ginsan 150 mm Kasumi Ebony — $492.99
Nigara SG2 Kurouchi 170mm Tsuchime Western Ironwood — $689.95
Honesuki knife questions
What is a honesuki knife used for?
It is a boning knife for breaking down poultry: portioning chicken and duck, cutting through joints and cartilage, and filleting smaller fish. The stiff triangular blade gives control a flexible Western boning knife cannot.
Is a honesuki worth it?
If you break down whole birds, yes. It portions poultry faster and cleaner than a flexible boning knife, and the fine tip also handles smaller fish, so it earns its place for anyone who butchers at home.
What is the difference between a honesuki and a deba?
A honesuki is a light, stiff triangular boning knife for poultry and joints; a deba is a thick, heavy knife for fish and small bones. The honesuki works around joints, the deba chops through fish heads.
Is a honesuki single or double bevel?
Both exist. Traditional honesuki are single-bevel, about 90/10, for precise butchery, while many modern ones are double-bevel, 50/50, which are easier to sharpen and use with either hand.
Related Japanese knife ranges
Related ranges: the deba, petty knives, saya covers and Japanese whetstones. For more, see how the honesuki compares to a deba.