Little did I know what I’ve been missing among all my European knives. My dad woke me up with a Japanese vegetable knife for Christmas and it is now my favorite blade.
It is incredibly light and sharp, perfect for everything vegetable and soft. That is: It won’t do well paring squash skins but it will make mincemeat of most other fruits and vegetables. In the month since Christmas my kitchen has been transformed. My Benriner is slinking further into the back of our cabinet as this knife becomes the mainstay of everything I do in the kitchen.
Sadly there is no formal name or brand for the knife save for the labels in Japanese on the handle and blade in the photo to the left. I’m sure you could find it at Hida Tool and Hardware in Berkeley where I’ve found similar things in the past. Otherwise, ask at your local Japanese hardware store or start searching for something like this.