Unlike most Western-style knives, Japanese knives, particularly those produced in the past, were often single-ground, so that only one side holds a cutting edge. The traditional belief was that a knife designed in such a way cuts better, with cleaner cuts, though they often require more skill to use than one with a double-ground edge. They are believed to cause the food to slide up and away from the blade, rather than sticking to it. However, today many western-style knives are being produced in Japan; most santoku knives today are double-ground.
