Home / Cutlery Types / Usuba (Traditional Vegetable Knife)

Bevel Type Analysis

Single Bevel (Kataba)

Traditional single-bevel (Kataba) blades are flat or slightly concave on the back (Urasuki) and beveled only on the front. This enables clean, razor-sharp surgical slices without pushing or squeezing foods—highly favored by Japanese sushi and sashimi chefs.

Cutting Mechanics

Single vs Double Bevel Cut Mechanics

knife

Usuba (Traditional Vegetable Knife)

Usuba

Description

The Usuba is the professional single-bevel vegetable knife of Japan. Meaning 'thin blade', it features a completely straight edge with no belly curve, allowing it to make flat contact with the cutting board. Its single-bevel geometry is designed for paper-thin precision cuts, such as Katsuramuki (rotary peeling of daikon radish).

Best For

✓ Rotary peeling (Katsuramuki)

✓ Fine julienne slicing

✓ Delicate vegetable carving

✓ Paper-thin slices

Blade Characteristics

Single-bevel (Kataba) with a flat backside (Urasuki) for friction-free slicing.
Perfectly straight cutting edge for clean cuts straight down to the board.
Blade height is tall, keeping knuckles safe from hitting the board.
Requires advanced sharpening skills due to single-bevel geometry.

Steel Recommendations

For this type of blade, professional makers typically suggest: Yasuki Blue Paper Steel (Aogami) or White Paper Steel (Shirogami) for ultimate push-cutting geometry and ease of hand whetstone sharpening.