11 Japanese-Style Kitchen Knives Under $100 On Amazon

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The world of kitchen knives can be overwhelming with all of the options available. Not all knives are made the same in regard to blade type and quality. For instance, one of the biggest differences between Western and Japanese knives is the blade edge. Western knives generally have double-edged blades, but Japanese knives are typically single-edged so that the blade comes away from or out of food easier. If you prefer single-edged blades and Japanese cutting techniques, you can find many different types of Japanese-style kitchen knives on Amazon for less than $100.

From classic santoku, gyuto, and petty knives to professional-style kiritsuke and yanagiba knives to knife sets, the selection goes well beyond budget-friendly steak knife sets you typically see on Amazon. Daily Meal searched through the Japanese knives to find an option for every kitchen task, whether you're chopping and dicing fruits and vegetables or precisely cutting and slicing meat and fish (even through bone). With that in mind, the curated list below includes blades with high ratings — the lowest being 4.4 stars. Although prices are included and accurate as of the time of writing, keep in mind that those can fluctuate.

In an exclusive interview with our sister publication Mashed, Ree Drummond revealed the two styles of kitchen knives she swears by, one of which is the santoku knife. This knife originated in Japan and was traditionally used like the Western chef's knife to cut a wide range of foods, including cheese, fish, meat, nuts, and vegetables. With a 7-inch blade and an ergonomic, nonslip santoprene (a rubber-like material) handle, this high-carbon stainless steel all-purpose knife from Mercer Culinary can be used the same way.

The Mercer Culinary Genesis santoku knife is just $39.95 on Amazon.

Another multipurpose knife, the gyuto is a Japanese knife with a more Western-style design and longer blade than the santoku. It's more like a chef's knife with a slightly curved blade to allow for rock-chopping or see-sawing your way through meats and vegetables. However, you can also use it for chopping and push and pull-cutting. This 8-inch gyuto knife by imarku, which has been forging kitchen knives since 1949, features a high-carbon stainless steel blade and pakkawood (resin-infused, polished, and stained wood) handle.

The imarku gyuto knife is on Amazon for $61.99.

While Westerners use separate paring and utility knives (the first being slightly shorter than the latter), Japanese cooks use a petty knife for dicing, mincing, and slicing ingredients. Its length is more similar to a traditional utility knife, but the high-carbon stainless steel blade is slightly more triangular and has a straighter edge, making it useful for fileting fish and trimming meat. Measuring 5.3 inches, the blade is attached to a resin handle with an aurora design, bringing a little bit of color into your kitchen.

The Huusk petty knife is $19.53 on Amazon.

Whether you're looking for essential knives for your first kitchen or are replacing old ones, this imarku set is a great deal. It includes a 5-inch utility, 7-inch santoku, and 8-inch chef's knife. Made of high-carbon stainless steel, the blades are considered professional-grade with a hardness rating of around 57. Each one is also set in a reddish-brown pakkawood handle that's about 5 inches long for ergonomic comfort and control while cutting everything from fruits to meats.

The imarku 3-piece knife set is on Amazon for $73.99.

The nakiri knife is the second Japanese knife type Ree Drummond cannot live without. Although the rectangular design resembles a cleaver, the thin, double-bevel blade is narrower and specifically designed for chopping, shredding, and slicing produce. Made from real Damascus steel, the blade on this SHAN ZU nakiri knife is exceptionally strong with a hardness of 62, extra sharp, and set in a glass-fiber handle. It's particularly useful for turning hard vegetables like carrots and daikons that generally crack while cutting into julienne strips.

The SHAN ZU nakiri knife is $98.99 on Amazon.

When you think of a cleaver, sharp, heavy knives that butchers use to cut through bone are probably what come to mind. Japanese-style cleavers are still sharp and heavy (compared to other knives on this list), but they have thinner blades than traditional Western meat cleavers. This imarku cleaver has a 7.5-inch blade that's only 0.08 inches thick but still has a hardness of 59. Because of that, it's designed more for disjointing bones in poultry and other meats and slicing whole fish.

The imarku cleaver is on Amazon for $59.99.

Conventional Japanese boning knives are called honesuki, and the blades have a thicker spine and a more triangular shape than their Western counterparts. These are less common on the Amazon marketplace, and this knife by Kai Housewares most resembles a modern honesuki. Made with high-carbon stainless steel, the blade is 5 inches and ideal for maneuvering between joints and around bones, cutting through cartilage, and trimming skin from meat and fish. It's perfect for other ingredient prep and carving a rotisserie chicken like a pro, too.

The Kai Japanese boning knife is $33.55 on Amazon.

A bread knife is one of the four knives experts say you need in your kitchen. While most bread knives generally look the same, Japanese ones have thinner blades and the serrations are finer and closer together than Western versions. These characteristics allow for cutting into hard bread crusts without shredding the interior and creating as many crumbs. At 8 inches, this HOSHANHO bread knife is made of high-carbon stainless steel with a pakkawood handle and can be used for cutting bagels, cakes, and pastas as well.

The HOSHANHO bread knife is on Amazon for $64.99.

If you're looking for a knife set that offers more than the basic essentials, consider ordering this seven-piece set from SYOKAMI. It comes with 8-inch chef's, slicing, and bread knives; a 7-inch santoku knife; a 6-inch utility knife; and 3.8-inch paring knife — all with single-bevel, high-carbon stainless steel blades and labels on the butts. Plus, you get a foldable acacia wood block with half-open magnetic slots that allow for easy storage, cleaning, and ventilation to prevent mold.

The SYOKAMI 7-piece knife set with foldable wood block is $89.98 on Amazon.

The kiritsuke knife is for home cooks who have mastered the art of Japanese cutting techniques. Traditionally used in professional kitchens, the blade has a distinctive angle at the tip and a single-beveled, super-sharp edge. It's also a multipurpose knife known for its fine slicing capabilities, whether you're cutting or fileting fish and other proteins or creating detailed garnishes from fruits and vegetables. Measuring 8.74 inches, this kiritsuke knife from FINDKING features a three-layer stainless steel construction and an octagonal, non-slip African rosewood handle.

The FINDKING kiritsuke knife is on Amazon for $49.99.

Specifically designed for slicing raw fish, the yanagiba knife (known as shobu in Western Japan) is what professional chefs use to make sushi, so it's essential if you're making your own at home. The slim blade resembles a katana, and its single-beveled edge is ideal for fileting fish and slicing sashimi in a single motion. Set in an unbreakable rosewood handle, this KEEMMAKE yanagiba blade is 10 inches long and has a hammered design to make food fall off easier.

The KEEMMAKE yanagiba knife is $47.99 on Amazon.

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