Tetsujin Ginsan Tanryusen (Metal Flow) Nakiri 170mm w/ Saya

The gyuto came to Japan with the beef-eating culture of the Meiji era, and that is where its name comes from. Tojiro says it is used for all kinds of cooking, which is why it is also called the chef's knife.

The santoku is a household knife that combines the good points of the nakiri and the gyuto. Tojiro describes it as all-purpose, from vegetables to meat and fish, double-bevel and built on the same construction as a Western knife.

Choose a gyuto if you want more length and reach. Choose a santoku if you want a shorter all-purpose knife. Tojiro's own size figures: gyuto 150 to 210mm for household use and up to 360mm for professional use, santoku 165 to 170mm for household use.

The gyuto (牛刀) is a chef's knife for all kinds of cooking, and it is basically double-bevel. A knife maker's guide says it came to Japan in the Meiji era with the culture of eating beef, which gave it its name, but it does not cut only meat.

A Japanese dictionary describes the gyuto as slimmer than a santoku, with a pointed tip, used widely for meat, fish and vegetables.

Gyuto knives typically range from 180mm to 240mm, although smaller 150mm and larger 270–300mm options are also available.

For general household use, we usually recommend 210mm, as it's a great balance between versatility and manoeuvrability. Most home cooking involves preparing relatively small quantities of ingredients, so a 210mm Gyuto is usually more than sufficient. It also feels more nimble and easier to control, especially for those transitioning from smaller knives.

If you have a spacious kitchen, a larger cutting board, or regularly prepare larger ingredients, 240mm is also an excellent choice. The extra length allows for longer, smoother slicing strokes and makes it easier to cut through larger ingredients in a single motion. However, it may feel slightly less manoeuvrable in tighter spaces.

Ultimately, the ideal length depends on your cutting technique, experience, the types of ingredients you usually prepare, and even the size of your cutting board.

Get the 210mm. We only point people to a 240mm when they have about 45cm of usable board, cook in volume, and regularly break down big roasts or whole fish.

On the gyutos we've measured for our product pages, the extra length is real. As of October 2026, the 210mm gyutos we list have a median edge of 213mm from heel to tip, across the 111 we have measured; the 240mm ones have a median of 240mm, across 100. The 240s are also heavier, 212g against 175g at the median, and a touch taller at the heel, 50mm against 48mm, across the same 100 and 111 knives.

Weight overlaps between the two sizes. As of October 2026, 11 of the 100 measured 240s weigh less than the median 210 at 175g. The 240s we measured weigh 146 to 323g, and the 111 measured 210s 121 to 255g. The number in the name does not decide how heavy a knife is, so check the measured weight on the product page.

Our advice: choose a Japanese knife if you want the keenest edge and do not mind caring for a harder blade, and a German knife if you want a tougher, more forgiving knife you can hone casually and use for heavy prep. On two Japanese knife steels, the steel makers' own figures start at 60 HRC: Takefu Special Steel rates VG10 at 60 HRC or more, and Proterial lists the hardening hardness of Aogami 2 (Blue 2) as over 60 HRC.

Our care advice for a Japanese knife: keep it off bone, frozen food and very hard squash, and use a wooden or plastic board.

The flat spot is the straight run of edge from the heel towards the middle, the part that meets the board along its length. At our counter we call it the sweet spot; elsewhere "sweet spot" often means the balance point, so ask which one someone means.

Past the flat, the edge curves up towards the tip (the belly), which suits a swinging or pulling stroke. Sharpeners also say "flat spot" for a worn patch of edge, so when you mean the shape, "the flat part of the edge" is clearer.

Ginsan is the name used for GIN 3, a stainless steel from Proterial. Proterial lists the carbon at 0.95 to 1.10% and the chromium at 13.00 to 14.50%.

Proterial describes it as a "Stainless steel which has hardness and sharpness comparable to carbon steel".

We find it suits a cook who wants a stainless knife that sharpens on stones. Dry it after use, like any knife.

Yes. Proterial lists the steel as GIN 3 with 13.00 to 14.50% chromium, above the Japan Stainless Steel Association's 10.5% minimum for stainless steel.

Proterial describes it as a stainless steel with hardness and sharpness comparable to carbon steel, used in various kitchen knives and scissors, and the association notes that stainless, strictly, means it rusts less. Wash the knife and dry it after use.