Fresh ingredients, experience, and unique recipes are key elements to cooking an excellent dish. However, there’s one “ingredient” that’s missing from this picture: a good chef’s knife.

Even with fresh ingredients and a great recipe, it’s impossible to create a dish without a knife. In the case of chopping meat or vegetables, you need the right cleaver. And if you’re reading this article, more specifically, you’re probably looking for the right Japanese cleaver!

We’ve carefully researched the best cleavers in the market today, and narrowed it down to 5 of the best Japanese cleavers. Let’s go.