The kiridashi has been used by Japanese woodworkers for hundreds of years to accurately scribe lines and cut materials such as patterns. It is also very good for wood carving and pretty much anything that needs a short fine edge and extreme point control.
There are two main features of the kiridashi that make it so good at its job. The first is that it has a chisel grind which means that there is a bevel on only one side. The flat side of the blade is perfect for following along a straight edge and other kinds of accurate cutting tasks. This also makes the kiridashi right or left handed depending on which side of the blade the bevel is on. The other feature is that the edge oriented far forward with gives greater leverage at the point and increases point control for fine work.
Blade design involves some give and take in order to achieve certain features. For example, chisel grinds can be extremely sharp because the edge can be made very thin which increases how well a blade can cut. The trade-off here is that a fine point and edge are not nearly as tough as other designs and are prone to breaking or chipping when mis-used.