Kuwahara Kaji Kobo・Ippon Bunka-bocho 130mm・ Stainless

Long-lasting Japanese sharpness in a compact western-style kitchen knife.

It's not long in the blade but it's a seriously useful little knife. A very good supplementary tool at the board and a great size for use at the table, we think this is a good choice for singles working in a small prep space and an excellent choice for elderly users - especially small ones - who are still preparing meals for themselves. It's light but doesn't require strength in the wrist to slice through red meat fat, chicken skins or calamari. Ease of use counts.

One thing we'd like to highlight is the tight fit and finish. It's not always the way with a hand-sharpened, hand-assembled knife in this style - in our time we've seen pins that were gappy, tangs that looked ill-matched, but not on these knives. It's easy to tell Kuwahara san has an eye for detail and presentation that respects the item and the customer who'll be using it. The grippy laminated ply and resin handle feels secure in hand. This material is said to have bactericidal properties and the half-tang construction means it's there for the life of the knife.

A note on branding. Ippon is used in martial arts to indicate the successful execution of a technique and an effective result with the win. It carries the sense of a single stroke - one-pass cutting is something we like - think of your next bout with chicken skins. Ippon ('一本') is also how you can count knives in the Japanese language: ippon, one knife. The One.

One last thing! Our product photos are of the equivalent 12cm version of this knife, so the photos approximate the knife offered here, which has a little more reach. Just a little.