Sujihiki — The Slicing Knife
What it is
The sujihiki (筋引き, "muscle/sinew puller") is a long, narrow, double-bevel slicing knife — essentially the Western-influenced, ambidextrous alternative to the single-bevel yanagiba. It slices proteins (raw and cooked), carves roasts, portions brisket and fish, and handles any job calling for long, clean draw-cuts.
The science & materials
Like the yanagiba, the sujihiki is long and thin so it can slice in a single draw without sawing, minimizing surface tearing and drag. Being double-beveled, it tracks straight in either hand, is far easier to use and sharpen than a single bevel, and releases the slice to both sides — but it cannot quite match the single bevel's acuteness or its mirror-flat cut face on raw fish. Its narrow blade reduces surface contact (less friction, less sticking) and gives the control that wide blades lack on long slices. Many are ground thin and run hard (60+ HRC) for keen, low-resistance cutting.
How it's used
A long pulling or pushing draw-stroke, using as much of the blade length as possible per slice. For carving cooked meat the cook draws the blade smoothly through the grain; for raw fish, a single clean pull as with the yanagiba. The point is to slice, not saw.
Regional & cultural traditions
The sujihiki is itself a Western-influenced design — a double-bevel response to the carving/slicing knives of European kitchens, rebuilt in Japanese steel and geometry. As such it is the natural slicer for cooks working in a Western or fusion idiom, and it has become popular internationally for exactly that versatility.
Cultural & historical context
Where the yanagiba is rooted in the single-bevel sushi tradition, the sujihiki belongs to the same modern, outward-looking lineage as the gyuto and petty: Japanese steel and craftsmanship applied to Western double-bevel forms. The name's reference to sinew points to its origin as a tool for trimming and slicing meat.
Reference notes
The double-bevel counterpart to the Yanagiba and the long-slicing partner to the Gyuto. Cross-link to Yanagiba, Gyuto, and Single-Bevel vs. Double-Bevel.
When to use
Choose a sujihiki over a yanagiba when you want yanagiba-style slicing without single-bevel difficulty, when you're left-handed (no special hand version needed), or when you slice cooked meats as well as raw fish — the sujihiki crosses over to roasts and barbecue where a yanagiba would be inappropriate. Choose it over a gyuto for long clean slices the shorter, taller chef's knife can't make in one pass.
What goes wrong
Its length and thin profile make it poor at any chopping, rocking, or board-bound prep — it is a slicer only. Thin and hard, it chips on bone. Cooks sometimes buy it expecting a do-everything knife and find it too specialized for general prep.