Name: 中華包丁 (ちゅうかぼうちょう) Chūkabōchō
Type: Western Style
Best for: Duck, Fish, Herbs, Vegetables
Sizing: 180-240mm
What is a Chukabocho (Chinese Cleaver)?
The Chukabocho (Chinese Cleaver) – written in Japanese as 中華包丁 (ちゅうかぼうちょう) and pronounced as Chūkabōchō. It is a western style Japanese kitchen knife, typically measuring 180-240mm in length. In this case, we recommend around 210mm as the most suitable size for most people. This knife is best used for duck, fish, herbs, and vegetables.
Chukabocho is the Japanese term for a Cai Dao (Chinese vegetable cleaver) or ‘Chinese-style’ knife that is made in Japan following Japanese knife forging techniques. The Chukabocho typically features a sharp and straight double bevel edge, and is characterized by its extremely tall, large, and rectangular-shaped blade that is similar in shape to the Nakiri and the Edo-Usuba.
The Cai Dao, which is the original inspiration for the Chukabocho, is often regarded as a Chinese chef’s knife due to its versatility and multi-functional use in a Chinese kitchen. Similarly, the Chukabocho is able to slice, chop, mince, and crush its way through virtually any vegetable, fruit, and small-boned proteins with ease, thanks to the weight of its large wide blade.
Although both the Cai Dao and the Chukabocho are often referred to as a ‘cleaver’ knife in English, it should be noted that the Chukabocho nor the Cai Dao are as sturdy as a true cleaver and should not be used to chop through large bones or for other heavy-duty work. A true cleaver is more like a mini axe than a knife, and usually much heavier and more robust.
What does Chukabocho mean?
Literally translated, ‘Chuka’ in Japanese means ‘Chinese’ as in Chinese-style cuisine and ‘bocho’ means ‘kitchen knife’ – hence giving the Chukabocho its English translation of ‘Chinese-style kitchen knife’.
The Chukabocho is said to be the Japanese take on a traditional Chinese Cai Dao cleaver and is created by utilizing the unique knife forging techniques of Japan.
What is a Chukabocho knife best for?
A true all-rounder knife, the Chukabocho knife is best for slicing, chopping, mincing, and crushing virtually any kind of vegetable, fruit, herbs, small-boned proteins, and fish.
The Chukabocho is typically available in varying blade thicknesses and weights in Japan, with the size of the blade determining the best use of this versatile knife.
Thinner, and therefore lighter blades are best suited for chopping and fine slicing soft meat, vegetables, and fish; crushing smaller ingredients such as garlic; removing blemishes from fruits and vegetables with the heel corners of the blade; and for decorative cutting with its sharp corner edges.
Thicker, and therefore heavier blades are best suited for general kitchen usage including medium-sized butchery work, such as splitting and breaking down smaller bones of meats, poultry, and fish. Thicker and heavier Chukabochos are often used by professional chefs who are skilled in utilizing the weight of the knife itself to break through the bones without damaging the blade.
Medium-sized blades are a versatile compromise between the two sizes and can be used for general cutting of vegetables, fruits, herbs, and boneless proteins, or to cut through small bones found in fish and poultry.
Chukabocho knife characteristics
The Chukabocho is one of the largest traditional Japanese knives with an average height of 100mm and blade lengths ranging between 180mm to 240mm. Its weight is also significantly varied, from a light 300g to a heavy 900g.
While the large size of the Chukabocho may be intimidating at first, a unique advantage of the Chuka Bocho is its ability to merge the thinness of a traditional Japanese knife with the heaviness of a taller blade to produce clean and precise cuts through tougher produce.
Typically when choosing a knife, the user must make a choice between having a thin blade at the cost of a lighter knife overall, or a heavier knife at the cost of a thicker blade. However, the Chukabocho’s extra-tall height provides significant weight behind its thin edge, thus allowing the knife to strike down with extra momentum and gravitational force to cut through tough foods.
The Chukabocho is characterized by its flat profile and its tall, large, and rectangular-shaped blade that is similar in shape to the Nakiri and the Edo-Usuba, albeit bigger. The sharp, straight edge of the blade provides full contact with the cutting board on each cut, which helps to achieve a clean slice every time.
The flat profile of the blade makes the Chukabocho well-suited for tap-chopping, push-cutting, or pull-cutting techniques, and the extra-wide blade allows for maximum knuckle clearance. The wideness of the blade also makes it easier to safely guide the blade with the knuckles of your free hand when chopping and gives plenty of room to easily scoop your ingredients and transfer them to the pot or pan.
The Chukabocho knife typically features a double bevel blade with a razor-sharp edge, as Japanese double bevel knives are ground at a more acute angle than other western-style knives, usually at an angle between 10 to 15 degrees.