There are several types of Hocho knives, each designed for specific purposes such as cutting vegetables, fish, etc.

Have you ever tried to make Sushi and failed to cut the fish with a Hocho 包丁, a Japanese cooking knife? If someone asked me so, my answer would be Yes. What a shame my sushi-making ended up making minced fish balls. It is surely not so easy to filet a fish in pieces without a skill. Besides, the choice of what types of knives to use is crucial.

There are several types of Hocho knives, equipped depending on the purpose of use, to cut veges, fish etc.

For cutting fish, there are two types of Japanese cooking knives, Deba-boho 出刃包丁 and Sashimi-boho 刺身包丁, known as traditional Japanese cooking knives (= Wabocho 和包丁). Deba-bocho is used to clean fish and chop them in pieces; it enables you to file the fish along the backbone finely. Sashimi-cabochon is used to make sashimi, or sushi, which is used to slice filet shapely with a gentle touch. These knives are essential for professionals working at Japanese restaurants.

Traditional Japanese cooking knives are right-handed.

Another feature of traditional Japanese cooking knives is that they are right-handed, the same as Samurai swords. These traditional cooking knives for left-handed are hard to come by.

The all-purpose knife “Santoku-bocho” is handy.

For use at home, providing all types of knives is only sometimes necessary as long as you don't often make specific dishes, such as sushi or sashimi. Instead, having just one all-purpose knife "Santoku-bocho 三徳包丁" will do. The Santoku, a type of western-style Hocho (=Youcho 洋包丁), is most commonly used at home in Japan and often sold at home improvement centers and even at supermarkets. They are basically for both right/left-handed.

Steel Hocho vs Stainless Steel Hocho

The advantage of a steel-made Hocho knife is that it is solid, durable, and sharp compared to stainless steel Hocho. Steel-made Hocho tends to rust quickly, so it needs to be kept dry.This is why chefs at Sushi restaurants frequently wipe their Hocho with a towel. Stainless-steel Hocho is much more easily taken care of, and all you have to do is just clean and wipe off the water once after cooking.

How to maintain the sharpness of your home-use Hocho knives

Even a super quality, authentic Hocho knife can easily be as dull as a cheap one if sharpening is not done properly. Though you can buy a whetstone (Toishi 砥石) and try sharpening your Hocho by yourself, it may actually be more "challenging" than you expect. Many people fail to properly sharpen and spoil their Hocho in a short time (like I did). To maintain the sharpness of traditional Hocho knives, it's suggested that you seek service at a Hocho shop. The sharpening fee typically ranges from 600 to 1500 JP Yen.

If you're a professional chef at a Japanese restaurant, you should know how to sharpen Hocho knives using a whetstone.

For home users, using a knife sharpener (包丁研ぎ器) for regular care will help your Hocho last longer. Simply use the sharpener before using the knife, which can significantly extend the life of your Hocho. If you don't have a sharpener, you can use the bottom of a teacup as a substitute for a whetstone. Just slide the edge of the knife along the bottom of the teacup a few times.