Cleaver ID Help Please

[Chuckles]

I got this as a gift from a relative. It was given to her by a chef. She said she isn’t a butcher (she is a pastry chef) and passed it on to me. She is Japanese and said it was a Chinese knife. It is a heavy and thick bone type cleaver that was sharp with pretty large burr on it. I am assuming it is carbon steel. I like it and would like to know a little bit more about it. Any help on ID and details of origin would be very much appreciated.

Thank you KKF.

 

[ian]

I don’t know anything, but doesn’t that writing look like Thai or something rather than Chinese?

 

[dreamwalker]

yes,its look like Thai.

 

[Noodle Soup]

Its Thai for sure. From the knife making village north of Bangkok. I have one I bought there along with several other cleaver type knives

 

[Chuckles]

Thank you, that is very helpful. I really appreciate it.

 

[KenHash]

View attachment 68566 View attachment 68567 View attachment 68568 She is Japanese and said it was a Chinese knife.
Thank you KKF.

I am sure she meant that it was a Chuka Boucho (Chinese Knife) as a style/design, not that it was made in China. Japanese share many Kanji characters with Chinese, so it is easily recognized. The writing is looks Thai.

 

[Chuckles]

This was passed to me by another relative. I am sure it is not what she said verbatim.

The knife is great for poultry bones. It will get pretty regular use at home. Honestly, if we had talked in person I probably would have told her to keep it for cutting chocolate.

 

[KenHash]

Not sure if same knife, but Thai for sure.

 

[Noodle Soup]

A few years ago I was in a wet market outside Chiang Mai watching a lady in a chicken stall with a hollow steel handle cleaver from the same village work. She used the knife to both chop and cut the chickens apart one after another. I was impressed so I hunted down the same model and have been using it in my kitchen every since. My favorite chicken bone chopper for sure.

 

[Chuckles]

That’s a great story. Exactly how I was picturing the usage!

 

[Boynutman]

Yep, bought an identical one in Thailand back in 1991. Thanks for sharing, never expected it would show up on the forum!

 

[Chuckles]

Here is a quick update to show how ugly this knife is behind the edge. Rustic would be an understatement. I don’t care as it is basically a hand axe. I went DMT extra coarse to Aizu to tomo nagura with Ozuku Asagi mud. It is sharp now. Will start seeing poultry tonight.