Shiro Kunimitsu Kurouchi Deba 160mm

This really is a decent chunk of steel. Beautifully crafted, beautifully sharp of course, and - in case you need convincing to part with this sort of money for a kitchen knife - very practical.

Debas are the workhorse for jobs that call for crunch. When you want to divide large fish, poultry, crustaceans, tortoises and the like a deba is the go-to tool. The heavy blade offers strength rather than momentum - it's a cleaver but not swung as one. Resting the blade edge on the cutting point and giving it a thump is the way to go for clean accurate cutting. The deba foreblade is used for more delicate filleting work.

Large deba knives are commonly available in single grind form, which tends to move them into the realm of specialist blade (nothing wrong with that). We're fans of black-forged ryōba (double bevel) deba knives like this one. Length-for-length prices are more modest. Sharpening is a familiar proposition and in general maintenance is a little less demanding.

The black finish looks great and provides a layer of protection against oxidisation; carbon steel rusts and these knives still require some vigilance and care to avoid it. Speaking of finish, there's a sophistication to the presentation of the Shiro Kunimitsu kurouchi blades that's difficult to capture in a photograph.   

Established in the eighteenth century, swordmakers Shiro Kunimitsu produce kitchen knives of particular beauty and utility.