In recent years, Japanese knives have become very popular for kitchen use. Japanese chef's knives may be seen in popular cooking shows, and are found at many cutlery stores.

Unlike other knives, such as German knives, Japanese are designed to be very lightweight, with a fine edge. Their steel blade is brittle and sharp, unlike other knives that are designed to be tough and flexible. As a result, these Japanese knives will be very, very sharp. The edge is less likely to bend, so it will stay sharper for longer. Japanese knives must be hand washed because the dishwasher may damage the blade, but quality Japanese blades don't usually need as much sharpening to attain a razor-sharp edge, but may need more frequent sharpening because the blade edge is not as durable.

Japanese cutlery usually uses one of two traditional forging methods, called honyaki or kasumi. Honyaki are high-carbon steel, and these forged knives are made entirely of one material. Kasumi blades are made from steel plus soft iron, forged together. The steel forms the blade edge, and the iron is the blade's body and spine. Both types of Japanese knives are known for being durable and very sharp.

There are many styles of Japanese kitchen knives. The most popular of these are the deba bocho, or kitchen cleaver, the santoku hocho, an all-purpose utility knife, and vegetable knives called either nakiri bocho or usuba hocho. There are dozens of other Japanese knife types, each used for specific tasks such as making udon or filleting tuna. Although there are so many different knife types, similar to a set that might be found in a western kitchen, most Japanese chefs choose just one or two of these to become their favorite knives. These knives are used for almost every kitchen task, despite their original design as a specialized knife. The choice of Japanese knives often depends just as much on personal style or taste than on the knife's intended purpose.

Unlike most Western-style knives, Japanese knives, particularly those produced in the past, were often single-ground, so that only one side holds a cutting edge. The traditional belief was that a knife designed in such a way cuts better, with cleaner cuts, though they often require more skill to use than one with a double-ground edge. They are believed to cause the food to slide up and away from the blade, rather than sticking to it. However, today many western-style knives are being produced in Japan; most santoku knives today are double-ground.

Most Japanese knives you'll find in stores today comes from Sakai, a region that has been producing high-quality samurai swords since the 1930s. And in fact, kasumi knives are made in the same manner as traditional samurai swords. Knife production there began back in the 16th century, and the Sakai region has remained the top cutlery producing area in Japan since then. Today, blades in Sakai are produced using a combination of modern technology and traditional hand tools.

Although Japanese knives are very sharp, they may be difficult to learn how to use, depending on their design. However, today's Japanese knives have begun including western features, such as the double-ground, to make such knives more usable for western chefs and home cooks.