Knife Anatomy Glossary: Bolster, Tang, Spine, Heel and More

A knife’s anatomy is more than just fun facts to show off to your friends about, the performance of your kitchen knives actually heavily depends on their anatomy. Understanding the parts of a knife can help you decide which Katana Saya knife is right for you! For example, a German knife might look similar to a Japanese knife, but they can behave quite differently because of design choices about their tips, tangs or spines. That’s why we’ve written this comprehensive knife anatomy guide to help you decide on a knife.     Blade Starting with the blade, there are three distinct components here. Firstly, the tip. At the very front of the blade, it is used for delicate precise work like scoring fish, deveining shrimp or trimming fat. Next, the point refers to where the edge and the spine converge. Various tips and points are used for different knife types, offering various strengths and uses. A Drop Point tip, where the spine curves down to a broad tip, is a feature of many Western knives, for example a Chef’s knife or paring knife, due to its balanced strength, control and versatility. A Sheepsfoot tip has a blunt, rounded tip and a straighter edge. It is a feature of a Santoku knife which makes it great for a variety of tasks. In contrast, a squared tip is standard in Nakiri knives which promotes a straight up and down cut, also meaning it’s perfect for vegetable knives. Finally, the Kiritsuke knife sports a K-tip, which is perfect for detailed work like scoring, trimming and piercing delicate proteins. Finally, the curved section of the rest of the blade is called the belly. In our Katana Saya Western knives this is often curved to allow for a rocking motion, great for chopping and dicing herbs or garlic. Our Japanese-style knives often flatten this curve noticeably, to favour a push-cut motion. So, the shape of an Eastern vs Western blade varies significantly, and not just in aesthetics, it affects the way in which you cook. So, it’s worth considering which cooking techniques you favour and what you’ll be using your knives for when you choose which Katana Saya knife is best. Edge The edge is the part of the knife that actually does the cutting. It’s shaped by the bevel, the sharpened surface ground into the steel. There are two types of bevels- single and double. At Katana Saya most of our kitchen knives are double bevelled (sharpened on both sides), which makes them easier to use and sharpen. Traditional specialist Japanese knives often use a single bevel though, where one side of the knife stays flat. Which is why we have chosen to have our sashimi knives be single bevelled, in order to produce an extremely fine edge, ideal for slicing raw fish. The edge angle is also incredibly important. At Katana Saya our blades are sharpened to 15 degrees because the VG-10 steel is so hard, it is capable of holding a very fine edge, making them razor-sharp allowing for clean cuts and less resistance. Some German knives chose for a wider angle (18-22 degrees) for durability. This is why we recommend that you don’t use your Katana Saya knives on frozen food or bone, as this could damage the knife, due to its narrow angle. Narrow blades also require safe sharpening, check out our knife sharpening guide for instructions on how to safely sharpen your Katana Saya knives!   Heel The heel is the back portion of the edge, closest to the handle. It is where you can generate the most force, which is great for cutting through tough vegetables, like squash or pumpkin.   Spine The spine is the thick top edge of the blade, running from heel to tip. It adds strength and heft when cooking as well as manoeuvrability, depending on the knife purpose. As a premium knife brand, we gradually taper the spine from thicker near the handle to thinner near the tip. This improves cutting performance.   Bolster The bolster is a collar of metal between the blade and the handle for protecting your fingers when chopping and balancing the weight of the blade and handle. A full bolster is typical of many German knives. However, at Katana Saya we favour Japanese design, choosing a half bolster, which stops partway up, leaving the heel exposed. This allows for full sharpening access, more agility due to a lighter weight and a more comfortable pinch grip.   Tang The tang is the piece of blade steel that runs through the handle, it is a major indicator of a knife’s durability. Katana Saya knives have a strong full tang, which runs the whole length of the handle. Following the gold standard for strength, balance and resistance. As opposed to a partial tang (sometimes referred to as a rat-tail), which only extends part-way through the handle, which are less durable.   Handle There are two important components when it comes to a knife handle: material and shape. Katana Saya have a Japanese style oval handle which encourages a precise pinch grip, in comparison to a Western contoured handle. We also designed our knives in this way as we believe a knife should look as good as it feels. Our most popular knives feature wooden handles which has been popular throughout time for a reason, they bring a natural warmth and the tactile experience of holding a wooden handle is unmatched. Both Pakkawood, Olivewood and Rosewood look beautiful in any kitchen and are the traditional choice for Japanese kitchen knives. Our elements and pearl ranges feature resin blends, which add a modern, colourful flair to your interior, and they are also even more water resistant.   Steel type and Rockwell rating The steel type also has a huge impact on the performance of a knife. All Katana Saya knives use VG-10 Damascus steel, which not only looks beautiful but is prized for its incredible quality. The G in its name stands for Gold, attained for its gold standards for stainless steel. It has incredibly high edge retention capabilities, as well as high rust resistance. It also has a high Rockwell Hardness rating of over 60, due to the carbon, cobalt and vanadium levels.   Pommel Finally, the pommel (also known as the butt) is the end of the knife and its material is important in grip, strength and balance. For this reason, the pommel of Katana Saya knives is made from metal, or wood for the smoke knives.

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