Chef Knives (Gyuto)

The chef's knife is the one blade that can handle the majority of everyday kitchen work, and the gyuto is its Japanese form. The two names describe the same knife: gyuto (牛刀) translates literally as beef sword, and it is Japan's take on the Western chef's knife, built with a long curved blade for slicing, chopping and general prep. The difference is not the shape but the execution. A Japanese gyuto is typically made from harder steel, ground thinner and sharpened to a keener angle than a traditional European chef's knife, which is why it cuts with noticeably less resistance. On this page you will see both names used, because our makers use both: KOTAI, Suncraft and MAC tend to call them gyuto, while KAI, Kasumi, Miyabi and Tamahagane often call them chef's knives. They are the same tool.

What defines a gyuto is a long blade with a curved belly and a pointed tip. Lengths usually run from 18 to 24 cm, the curve toward the tip supports both rock chopping and slicing, so a single knife covers vegetables, boneless meat and fish. Japanese gyuto are commonly ground to around 15 degrees per side, keener than the roughly 20 degrees typical of Western knives, and are usually double bevelled, which means they suit left and right handed cooks equally. Our range spans everything from practical everyday knives to premium Damascus blades, in steels from dependable stainless up to high-performance cores such as VG10, so there is a gyuto here for every level of cook and budget.