Japanese 160mm Deba Kitchen Knife - Vintage Restored

This beautifully restored Deba from unknown origin is in pristine condition and has many years of life remaining. It has been fully reground, polished and shows a lovely kasumi finish on the bevel and has been sharpened, fully ready for use. The steel is quite hard and contains added carbides similar to Aogami #2. The heat treatment is standard. The new custom handle is octagonal ebony with marble buffalo horn ferrule. The knife has a 160mm cutting edge and 305mm overall length.

History:

The Japanese Deba knife (出刃包丁, deba bōchō) is a traditional Japanese kitchen knife primarily used for butchering fish, although it's also suitable for cutting meat and poultry with small bones.

Key Characteristics:

• Blade Shape: Thick, broad blade with a pointed tip. The heel of the blade is very sturdy, ideal for cutting through fish heads and small bones, while the tip is precise enough for filleting.

• Blade Thickness: Much thicker and heavier than most Japanese knives, giving it the power needed for heavier cuts.

• Single Bevel: Traditionally, Deba knives are single-beveled (usually for right-handed users), meaning one side is flat while the other is ground. This allows for more precise and cleaner cuts, especially when filleting fish.

Primary Uses:

• Breaking down whole fish (cutting through heads, bones, and filleting)

• Chopping meat and poultry (small bones only—it's not meant for hacking through large bones like a cleaver)