Japanese knives are razor-sharp, durable, often highly specialized blades that are truly in a class of their own. After adopting three different styles—the Gyuto, the Santoku, and the Nakiri—we’re excited to spotlight another traditional Japanese knife style: the Honesuki. While designed for breaking down and deboning poultry, the Honesuki is actually a highly versatile knife, with a growing cadre of chefs and home cooks reaching for it over western-style boning knives.
But what, exactly, makes them so special? From their unique build, to that distinctive “reverse-tanto” tip, here’s everything that sets the Honesuki apart.
What Is a Honesuki Knife?
From a distance, a Honesuki knife looks strikingly similar to the Japanese Gyuto, with a long bottom edge, pointed tip, and pronounced heel. Look closer, however, and you’ll see that the tip angles sharply downwards, almost like a ground-down Gyuto. This is called a “reverse tanto tip,” a core design feature that distinguishes the Honesuki from a western-style boning knife.
So what does the reverse tanto tip do? First off, it comes in incredibly useful when you’re trying to separate meat from connective tissue or bone without tearing the flesh. Second, it increases the strength of the tip, which is extremely useful when you’re butchering poultry or fish.
What Is a Honesuki Knife Used For?
The heavy, durable blade is useful for breaking down whole chickens, ducks and other poultry, while the fine, narrow tip is ideal for trimming fat and separating joints. Due to the precision tip, many find the honesuki useful for filleting fish and other small butchery tasks.
Benefits of Using a Honesuki Knife
- The thick spine and triangular shape make for a strong, durable blade that can stand up to heavy use
- A narrow, tapered tip offers precision and control—perfect for sliding between skin, fat, and bone
- Compact and versatile enough to use for a range of butchery and prep-related tasks, as well as easy to store
How to Use a Honesuki Knife Properly
Like with any knife, proper grip and cutting technique are both crucial with a Honesuki: not only will this prevent slipping and injury, but it’ll also help you cut more skillfully and efficiently. Make sure to choke up on the knife, with your thumb and forefinger pinching the base of the blade and your other three fingers wrapped tightly around the handle. Always hold the blade perpendicular to your body, and use a claw grip (fingers curled inward, with knuckles flush against the side of the blade). For more detailed step-by-step instructions, check out our guide to proper knife handling.
With the Honesuki specifically, we highly recommend against trying to cut through bone or anything extremely dense or hard, such as a whole kabocha squash. While high-carbon Japanese steel is strong, it’s also fairly brittle, which means that it chips more easily than many Western-style knives.
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- Limited Edition Damascus Honesuki
- Padauk Wood
- $229
Even if you’re not often deboning poultry, this uniquely strong yet agile blade is a wonderfully versatile addition to your knife block. That’s why we’re excited to add the Honesuki to our Japanese Damascus Steel Knife Collection for a limited time, made from durable, high-carbon VG10 stainless steel for a reliable, long-lasting blade.
