The long, narrow, graceful blade of the Sujihiki is particularly useful for trimming away sinew and fat from meat, finely slicing meat or boneless fish, or for filleting and skinning fish. The long blade allows the meat or fish to be cut in one single drawing motion, from heel to tip.

The narrow blade and relatively acute edge angle of the Sujihiki are features which greatly reduce the effort required to cut through ingredients. For this reason, it is best to use a blade which is as long your budget and workspace will allow. The combination of cutting technique, acute blade angle, and sharp edge result in very little cellular damage in the cut surface. This is particularly important for dishes where the fish is eaten raw, because it helps to preserve the original flavor and texture of the fish.

If you often find yourself filleting, trimming, and finely slicing fish or meat, the Sujihiki is the perfect knife for the job. However, if you only work with fish, or if you have a passion for making Sushi or Sashimi, you might like to try a Yanagi, which is the traditional Japanese single bevel edged knife made precisely for this purpose. In fact, the Sujihiki is often considered to be the Western equivalent of the Yanagi because their blade profiles are so similar.

Sujihiki are commonly available in blade lengths ranging from 210mm up to 360mm, with the 240mm, 270mm and 300mm sizes being particularly popular.