— "fish-preparer" — are a style of Japanese

kitchen knives A kitchen knife is any knife that is intended to be used in food preparation. While much of this work can be accomplished with a few general-purpose knives — notably a large chef's knife and a smaller serrated blade utility knife — there are ...

primarily used to cut

fish A fish (: fish or fishes) is an aquatic animal, aquatic, Anamniotes, anamniotic, gill-bearing vertebrate animal with swimming fish fin, fins and craniate, a hard skull, but lacking limb (anatomy), limbs with digit (anatomy), digits. Fish can ...

, though are also used occasionally in cutting

meat Meat is animal Tissue (biology), tissue, often muscle, that is eaten as food. Humans have hunted and farmed other animals for meat since prehistory. The Neolithic Revolution allowed the domestication of vertebrates, including chickens, sheep, ...

. ''Debas'' have wide blades and are the thickest of all Japanese kitchen knives and come in different sizes — sometimes up to in length and thick — but usually considerably shorter, normally between long with a blade between thick. The larger form of knife is called an ''hon-deba'', ("true deba") whereas the smaller form is a ''ko-deba''. The ''deba bōchō'' first appeared during the

Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

Sakai is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. It has been one of the largest and most important seaports of Japan since the medieval era. Sakai is known for its '' kofun'', keyhole-shaped burial mounds dating from the fifth century. The ''kofun ...

. Following the traditions of Japanese knives, they have just a single bevel to the edge — with an urasuki hollow back on premium blades — so generally come in just right-handed versions, but left-handed ones can be found in specialist shops. It is designed to behead and fillet fish. A deba's thickness, and often a more obtuse angle on the back of the heel allow it to cut off the heads of fish without damage. The rest of the blade is then used to ride against the fish bones, separating the fillet.

Maintenance

Traditionally, ''deba'' knives are made of

carbon steel Carbon steel is a steel with carbon content from about 0.05 up to 2.1 percent by weight. The definition of carbon steel from the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) states: * no minimum content is specified or required for chromium, cobalt ...

, which needs regular maintenance and oiling to prevent rust. However, many modern knives are also available in

stainless steel Stainless steel, also known as inox, corrosion-resistant steel (CRES), or rustless steel, is an iron-based alloy that contains chromium, making it resistant to rust and corrosion. Stainless steel's resistance to corrosion comes from its chromi ...

. The carbon steel blades can be honed into a sharper cutting edge. The ''deba'' is not intended for chopping large diameter bones of

pork Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig animal husbandry, husbandry dating back to 8000–9000 BCE. Pork is eaten both freshly cooke ...

beef Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus''). Beef can be prepared in various ways; Cut of beef, cuts are often used for steak, which can be cooked to varying degrees of doneness, while trimmings are often Ground beef, grou ...

References

* Nancy Hachisu
Japanese Farm Food
Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2012, , page 17 * Shizuo Tsuji
Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art
Kodansha, 2006, , page 111 * Hiroko Shimbo
The Japanese Kitchen: 250 Recipes in a Traditional Spirit
- Harvard Common Press, 2000, , page 12 {{DEFAULTSORT:Deba bocho Japanese kitchen knives

Maintenance

See also

References