The Toryumon line comes out of Fuji Cutlery, TOJIRO's Tsubame City operation, and it brings the same straightforward manufacturing standards that TOJIRO applies across their entire catalog - solid materials, consistent quality control, and a design philosophy that prioritizes function over flourish. This Chinese-style cleaver was featured on Milk Street, where its combination of stainless construction, approachable size, and Japanese manufacturing caught the attention of serious home cooks looking for a cleaver that could handle daily prep without carbon steel maintenance.
What sets this cleaver apart from the broader category is the belly. Unlike fully flat Chinese cleavers, this blade has a slight curve toward the tip that enables rocking and push-cutting, giving it the versatility of a chef knife alongside the surface area and heft of a cleaver. At 180mm blade length and 85mm height at the belly, it is compact enough to handle with precision while still covering significant board real estate. The stainless blade is fully corrosion resistant and easy to maintain. The rosewood handle with two rivets is comfortable and well-proportioned for the blade, though it rewards a pinch grip for best control. Note: the standard cleaver saya does not fit this knife.
What Customers Are Saying: Reviewers praise the value and versatility of this cleaver, noting it handles vegetables, wok prep, and general chopping with equal confidence. The curved belly draws consistent positive feedback for making rocking cuts and larger items easier to manage. Those who sharpen their own knives find it takes an edge easily and holds up well to regular use; one reviewer noted the out-of-box edge benefited from a quick touch-up before first use.
Care Instructions: Fully stainless. Hand wash and dry after use. Avoid the dishwasher, as detergents and high heat can damage the handle and dull the edge. Do not use on hard bone, frozen foods, or very hard shells. Hone when needed and sharpen on quality water stones for best long-term performance.
What sets this cleaver apart from the broader category is the belly. Unlike fully flat Chinese cleavers, this blade has a slight curve toward the tip that enables rocking and push-cutting, giving it the versatility of a chef knife alongside the surface area and heft of a cleaver. At 180mm blade length and 85mm height at the belly, it is compact enough to handle with precision while still covering significant board real estate. The stainless blade is fully corrosion resistant and easy to maintain. The rosewood handle with two rivets is comfortable and well-proportioned for the blade, though it rewards a pinch grip for best control. Note: the standard cleaver saya does not fit this knife.
What Customers Are Saying: Reviewers praise the value and versatility of this cleaver, noting it handles vegetables, wok prep, and general chopping with equal confidence. The curved belly draws consistent positive feedback for making rocking cuts and larger items easier to manage. Those who sharpen their own knives find it takes an edge easily and holds up well to regular use; one reviewer noted the out-of-box edge benefited from a quick touch-up before first use.
Care Instructions: Fully stainless. Hand wash and dry after use. Avoid the dishwasher, as detergents and high heat can damage the handle and dull the edge. Do not use on hard bone, frozen foods, or very hard shells. Hone when needed and sharpen on quality water stones for best long-term performance.
- Brand: Fuji Cutlery
- Line: Toryumon
- Manufacturer: TOJIRO
- Location: Tsubame City, Japan
- Construction: Mono Steel
- Steel: Stainless
- Handle: Rosewood
- Rivets: 2
- Weight: 10.4 oz (295 g)
- Blade Length: 180 mm
- Total Length: 280 mm
- Blade Height at Belly: 85 mm
- Blade Height at Heel: 80 mm
- Storage Note: Standard cleaver saya does not fit this knife
Reviews
3 review(s) WRITE A REVIEW (Reviews are subject to approval)
Good if you sharpen your own knives, bad if you want out of the box quality. Posted By: Gideon
37 people found this review helpful
I just received this knife in the mail. Over all I like the knife but I wish I got the Chinese style handle. The handle is very small and feels unfinished. It's really only suitable for a pinch grip with average size hands. The knife also came very heavily burred. I put it on my strop and the burrs were so heavy it was actually scratching my strop. I spent about a minute with it on a 1000 grit diamond stone and then another minute with it on a 4 micron diamond strop to deburr the blade edge. I feel like this shouldn't be have to be done on a brand new blade. It did end up taking an edge nicely and was very easy to sharpen. It's definitely a quality piece of metal that I expect to last a very long time but I'm disappointed with the quality control on the out of the box edge.
37 people found this review helpful
I just received this knife in the mail. Over all I like the knife but I wish I got the Chinese style handle. The handle is very small and feels unfinished. It's really only suitable for a pinch grip with average size hands. The knife also came very heavily burred. I put it on my strop and the burrs were so heavy it was actually scratching my strop. I spent about a minute with it on a 1000 grit diamond stone and then another minute with it on a 4 micron diamond strop to deburr the blade edge. I feel like this shouldn't be have to be done on a brand new blade. It did end up taking an edge nicely and was very easy to sharpen. It's definitely a quality piece of metal that I expect to last a very long time but I'm disappointed with the quality control on the out of the box edge.
Tojiro has never disappointedPosted By: Dave P.
38 people found this review helpful
I usually turn to Tojiro for my "rough" use cutlery. My nephew is getting into wok cooking and wanted a cleaver for the food prep. Pretty sure just the fact that it is a cleaver was also a draw. I also like to cook in my wok and do not currently own a cleaver so I took it through it's paces. Out of the box edge was good. Quality of construction good. Materials good. Great price. Form and function good. The belly helps rock chop and in my opinion help with cuts of larger items or harder objects like squash. Excellent value and lower maintenance requirements than high carbon blades was a perfect fit for the application.
38 people found this review helpful
I usually turn to Tojiro for my "rough" use cutlery. My nephew is getting into wok cooking and wanted a cleaver for the food prep. Pretty sure just the fact that it is a cleaver was also a draw. I also like to cook in my wok and do not currently own a cleaver so I took it through it's paces. Out of the box edge was good. Quality of construction good. Materials good. Great price. Form and function good. The belly helps rock chop and in my opinion help with cuts of larger items or harder objects like squash. Excellent value and lower maintenance requirements than high carbon blades was a perfect fit for the application.
