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Kiritsuke

切付け

General Purpose Specialized
The Kiritsuke (切付け) is a traditional Japanese single-bevel knife, historically regarded as the mark of the head chef — in many kitchens only the itamae was permitted to wield one. Its long, flat blade ends in a distinctive angled "kiritsuke" tip, and it is ground as a single bevel with a concave back (urasuki) for an exceptionally keen, clean-cutting edge. The design unites the work of two specialist knives: the flat edge handles vegetables like an usuba, while the length and pointed tip slice fish and proteins like a yanagiba. It is a versatile knife for an accomplished hand — the single bevel rewards good technique with precision few double-bevel knives can match, but asks for skill in return.

A note on naming: this traditional Kiritsuke is single-bevelled and is a genuinely different knife from the double-bevel K-tip (or "Kiritsuke") Gyuto, which is simply a gyuto with a kiritsuke-style tip. Many retailers list the two interchangeably; at Knives and Stones we keep them distinct so you know exactly what you're buying.

Frequently asked questions

Is a K-tip Gyuto the same as a traditional Kiritsuke?

Not quite - and it is the single most common point of confusion when people shop for a kiritsuke. The two knives share the same striking angled, reverse-tanto tip, but underneath that tip they are very different tools.

A K-tip gyuto is a double-bevel knife: it is ground on both sides like any Western-style chef's knife, so it is ambidextrous, forgiving to use, and sharpened exactly the way you would sharpen a normal gyuto. You get the dramatic kiritsuke look with the everyday usability of an all-purpose chef's knife.

A traditional kiritsuke - including the kiritsuke-yanagiba (slicer) and kiritsuke-gyuto shapes - is a single-bevel knife, ground on one side only. It is historically a master chef's knife: it takes real practice to use well, is set up for right-handed users by default, and needs single-bevel sharpening technique to maintain.

So if you want the kiritsuke silhouette with no learning curve, choose a K-tip gyuto. If you specifically want the traditional single-bevel discipline - and the precision it allows on fish and vegetables - choose a true kiritsuke. At Knives and Stones we stock both, and each product page tells you which construction you are looking at.

✓ Verified by Knives and Stones · James Zhang · Reviewed 29 May 2026

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