Tojiro’s Oboro Chef’s Knife offers extra leverage and reach for slicing neatly through long vegetables and cuts of meat. The nimble blade comes to a fine point for tip work, like dicing and mincing onions or cleaning silver skin. We reach for it to slice long vegetables like butternut squash and leeks, as well as removing the skin from salmon and breaking it down into smooth slices without shingling. The blade is made from Japanese VG10 steel, which holds its edge and resists corrosion (for less frequent sharpening!), and the rounded knife handle is made from satin-finish linen micarta.

Packing some heft without a lot of weight, the Tojiro Oboro Santoku has the momentum to help propel your knife through tougher cuts. The tip curves more dramatically downward than the dagger-like version on most European-style chef’s knives. Drive the tip and tall blade easily through melon, squash and larger pieces of meat, or turn it on its side to smash ginger or garlic cloves or use as a bench scraper. The knife is made from Japanese VG10 steel, which will hold its edge and resist corrosion, and finished with a rounded linen micarta handle.

The Japanese answer to smaller kitchen tasks, this version of the petty knife from Tojiro is perfect for detail work. Try the Tojiro Oboro Petty Knife to slice or suprème fruit—like apples, oranges, grapefruit, pears and so on—dice shallots, chop herbs, debone or slice meat or other delicate and detailed knife work. Clocking in at just 9.8 inches total, the petty knife is the perfect size to keep at your work station without it getting in the way. The knife is made from Japanese VG10 steel, which will hold its edge and resist corrosion, and finished with a rounded linen micarta handle.

Every kitchen should have a Chinese-style cleaver, whose tall, heavy-duty blade and forward-heavy balance do most of the work for you when chopping big batches of vegetables and mincing meats or herbs. We found an excellent model from Japanese producer Toryumon that, unlike most flat-bellied cleavers, has a slightly curved edge similar to a European-style chef’s knife, so American home cooks will find it easier to use. Roughly 7 inches long and 3.5 inches tall, the blade is smaller and more approachable than other models and ideal for those with smaller hands.

Every kitchen should have a Chinese-style cleaver, whose tall, heavy-duty blade and forward-heavy balance do most of the work for you when chopping big batches of vegetables and mincing meats or herbs. We found an excellent model from Japan that, unlike most flat-bellied cleavers, has a slightly curved edge similar to a European-style chef’s knife, so American home cooks will find it easier to use. Plus, the barrel-shaped handle can you more control than a standard shape.

Hard materials are hard on knives, but this featherlight Japanese cutting board will protect your blades—and will practically heal itself. This 21-inch board is just under 2 pounds and is made from the quick-growing paulownia tree, a soft wood that dries fast and has antibacterial properties. Unlike typical wooden cutting boards—which can be cumbersome and hard on knives—paulownia’s special properties cushion your blades (but won’t bend) to preserve the edge, unlike hard cutting surfaces like fabricated bamboo or hardwoods that have almost no give, eventually dulling knives. The wood naturally contains sesamin and paulonin, two anti-bacterial properties that help prevent germs from breeding. Even better, if you give your paulownia board a good scrub and wipe it mostly dry with a cloth, the grain of the wood will absorb moisture, minimizing the appearance of scratches, cracks and cut marks to ensure longevity.

The Kiritsuke is a style of gyuto, or Japanese chef’s knife, that has a long blade for slicing meat combined with a height that's perfect for cutting vegetables—overall, it's an all-purpose knife for virtually any kitchen task shy of mincing. The flat-bellied profile creates full board contact and clean slicing, while the namesake acute kiritsuke tip, traditionally reserved for head chefs, is specially designed for delicate detail work. Tojiro designed this kiritsuke with an ergonomic western-style handle that will feel familiar to American home cooks. The inner core of this Kiritsuke is VG-10, one of the most popular kitchen knife steels on the market. VG-10's high chromium content means the steel holds an edge well, is easy to sharpen and requires little maintenance.

The Kiritsuke is a style of gyuto, or Japanese chef’s knife, that has a long blade for slicing meat combined with a height that's perfect for cutting vegetables—overall, it's an all-purpose knife for virtually any kitchen task shy of mincing. The flat-bellied profile creates full board contact and clean slicing, while the namesake acute kiritsuke tip, traditionally reserved for head chefs, is specially designed for delicate detail work. Tojiro designed this kiritsuke with an ergonomic western-style handle that will feel familiar to American home cooks. The inner core of this Kiritsuke is VG-10, one of the most popular kitchen knife steels on the market. VG-10's high chromium content means the steel holds an edge well, is easy to sharpen and requires little maintenance.