Japan — sashimi cutting technique formalised in Edomae cuisine, Edo period
Professional sashimi preparation requires mastery of several distinct cutting techniques, each suited to specific fish textures, thicknesses, and presentations. The major styles: Hira-zukuri (平造り, flat cut): the most common method — blade held perpendicular to fish, drawn smoothly toward the body in a single pull stroke, producing rectangular slices of 8–10mm for medium-firm fish (tuna, yellowtail, salmon); Ogi-zukuri (扇造り, fan cut): thin diagonal slices fanned on the serving plate for visual presentation; Kaku-zukuri (角造り, cube cut): 10mm squares of very fresh firm-fleshed fish or tuna; Ito-zukuri (糸造り, thread cut): ultra-thin julienne strips of delicate flatfish or squid, served in a tangle; Usuzukuri (薄造り, thin cut): paper-thin slices of white fish (hirame, tai) held against the light for translucency; Tataki-zukuri: rough-cut chopped technique for spicy tuna preparations. Each technique requires the knife to do the work — using force or sawing destroys the cell structure of fresh fish.
The cutting technique directly affects texture: hira-zukuri provides clean flat slices with maximum surface area for soy absorption; usuzukuri's translucency shows off the fish's colour and allows subtle flavour penetration; ito-zukuri creates delicate textures in firm fish by cutting across the grain
The single-pull cutting motion (引き切り, hiki-giri) is essential — the blade starts at the heel and pulls through to the tip in one stroke; the knife must be razor-sharp (a dull knife compresses the fish cells and produces ragged cuts); the fish should be very cold (just above freezing) for the cleanest cuts; wipe the blade with a damp cloth between each slice.
The hira-zukuri motion: position the heel of the blade at the far edge of the fish, draw toward you while applying gentle downward pressure — the slice should detach cleanly as the tip passes through; the usuzukuri technique for hirame: slice at a very low angle to the flesh, making very thin, almost transparent slices by drawing at 30° rather than 90° to the surface; sashimi knife selection: yanagiba (柳刃, willow leaf) is the standard single-bevel sashimi knife — its asymmetric grind allows the blade to release the fish cleanly without the slice sticking to the blade face.
Sawing back and forth rather than using a single pull stroke (destroys the clean cellular structure of the fish — ragged, torn edges rather than clean slices); using a cold fish straight from the freezer (partially frozen fish cannot be cut cleanly and damages the flesh structure); pressing too hard with the blade (let the knife's weight and sharpness do the work — pressure tears rather than cuts).
Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art — Shizuo Tsuji