Using a Oroshi hocho knife to filet tuna at the Tsukiji fish market. The knife curves along the line of the spine.

Japanese knives, including a long Oroshi hocho, used to filet tuna at the Tsukiji fish market

Oroshi hocho (おろし包丁, literally: wholesale knife) and hancho hocho (半丁包丁, literally: half tool knife) are extremely long highly specialized knives used in Japan to fillet tuna and other large fish. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 683 KB) Summary Subject: A Oroshi hocho knife used to filet tuna at the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 683 KB) Summary Subject: A Oroshi hocho knife used to filet tuna at the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo. ... Species See text Tuna, sometimes called tunafish, are several species of ocean-dwelling fish in the family Scombridae, mostly in the genus Thunnus. ... Tsukiji as seen from Shiodome End of the fresh tuna auction at Tsukiji. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 1012 KB) Summary Subject:Various Japanese utensils, including a long flexible Oroshi hocho ( おろし包丁) (middle) and a hancho hocho (半丁包丁) (closest to camera). ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 1012 KB) Summary Subject:Various Japanese utensils, including a long flexible Oroshi hocho ( おろし包丁) (middle) and a hancho hocho (半丁包丁) (closest to camera). ... The following items are common Japanese cooking tools used in preparing Japanese cuisine. ... Species See text Tuna, sometimes called tunafish, are several species of ocean-dwelling fish in the family Scombridae, mostly in the genus Thunnus. ... Tsukiji as seen from Shiodome End of the fresh tuna auction at Tsukiji. ... Traditional Finnish puukko knife A knife is a sharp-edged hand tool used for cutting. ... Species See text Tuna, sometimes called tunafish, are several species of ocean-dwelling fish in the family Scombridae, mostly in the genus Thunnus. ... Atlantic herring, Clupea harengus: one of the most abundant species of fish in the world. ...

The oroshi hocho is the longer blade with a blade length of 150 cm in addition to a 30 cm handle, and can fillet a tuna in a single cut, although usually two to three people are needed to handle the knife and the tuna. The flexible blade is curved to the shape of the spine to minimize the amount of meat remaining on the tuna chassis. The hancho hocho is the shorter blade with a length of around 100 cm in addition to the handle. The hancho hocho is also sometimes called a maguro kiri ( マグロ切, lit. tuna cutter). A chassis (plural: chassis) consists of a framework which supports an inanimate object, analogous to an animals skeleton; for example in the construction of an automobile or of a firearm. ...

They are commonly found at wholesale fish markets in Japan, the largest of which is the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo. They may also be found at very large restaurants, but they are not found in the regular Japanese kitchen, unless there is a frequent need to fillet tuna with a weight of 200 kg or more. To the untrained eye these knives are often confused with Japanese swords, however, they are not a weapon, but only a tool, although they have been used as weapons by Yakuza¹. The knives do not necessarily have a scabbard, as they do not have to be carried around on military campaigns, nor do they have a sword guard to protect against the weapons of the enemy. The handle also does not have the typical Japanese sword style wrapped ray skin, as this would be difficult to clean. Wholesaling consists of the sale of goods/merchandise to retailers, to industrial, commercial, institutional, or other professional business users or to other wholesalers and related subordinated services. ... Tsukiji as seen from Shiodome End of the fresh tuna auction at Tsukiji. ... Tokyo ) , literally eastern capital, is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and includes the highly urbanized central area formerly known as the city of Tokyo which is the heart of the Greater Tokyo Area. ... There are many views of what is fundamental to Japanese cuisine. ... Katana of the 16th or 17th Century, with its saya. ... This article or section may be confusing for some readers, and should be edited to be clearer or more simplified. ... A scabbard is a sheath for holding a sword. ... A typical tsuba The angle of the sabre in shodan no kamae is determined by the tsuba and the curvature of the blade (shinai are stright, but real weapons are curved) Wikimedia Commons has media related to: tsuba The tsuba (鍔) is a round guard at the end of the grip... Orders Batoidea - common rays and skates Myliobatiformes - eagle rays, manta rays Pristiformes - sawfishes Torpediniformes - electric rays Rays are a group (superorder Rajomorphii or Batoidea) of cartilaginous fishes. ...

See also Japanese kitchen knives and the list of Japanese cooking utensils. There are a number of different types of Japanese kitchen knives. ...

An oroshi hocho in use at the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo

Hancho hocho, a half length blade at the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo

Download high resolution version (1024x763, 155 KB)This is a file from the Wikimedia Commons, a repository of free content hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation. ... Download high resolution version (1024x763, 155 KB)This is a file from the Wikimedia Commons, a repository of free content hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation. ... Tsukiji as seen from Shiodome End of the fresh tuna auction at Tsukiji. ... Tokyo ) , literally eastern capital, is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and includes the highly urbanized central area formerly known as the city of Tokyo which is the heart of the Greater Tokyo Area. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1551x481, 154 KB) Half long blade (only 1m) for filleting Tuna This is a Hancho Hocho (Jap. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1551x481, 154 KB) Half long blade (only 1m) for filleting Tuna This is a Hancho Hocho (Jap. ... Tsukiji as seen from Shiodome End of the fresh tuna auction at Tsukiji. ... Tokyo ) , literally eastern capital, is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and includes the highly urbanized central area formerly known as the city of Tokyo which is the heart of the Greater Tokyo Area. ...

Notes

• Note 1: Bestor, Theodore C. (2004). Tsukiji: The Fish Market at the Center of the World. University of California Press. ISBN 0520220234., pg 26