Usuba

An usuba (薄刃, “thin blade”) is the professional counterpart to the double-bevel nakiri. It has the same tall, flat, tip-free shape, but it is ground on one side only. That single bevel lets a skilled cook take extremely fine, controlled cuts, including katsuramuki, the technique of peeling a vegetable into one long, paper-thin sheet. The trade-offs are the same as any single-bevel knife: it is sharpened almost entirely on one face, it is made for one hand, and it takes practice to use well. Most home cooks who want a dedicated vegetable knife choose a nakiri instead.