Nakiri Bocho and Usuba Bocho are Japanese vegetable knives, translating as ‘knife for greens’, and ‘thin knife’ respectively. They differ from the Deba Bocho in that they have a straight blade edge. These knives also have thinner blades, as they are intended for creating thin slices of vegetable, rather than having the potential to slice through small bones.
As with many Japanese knives the shape can vary from city to city, the main difference being between rectangular or curved shaped (where the blade itself remains straight in both cases).
Another slight difference is that whereas the Nakiri Bocho can often be found with a double bevelled blade, the Usuba Bocho will only ever have one bevelled edge, to create the thinnest possible slices. As such the Usuba Bocho can require greater skill to use.
