Gyuto and Santoku as Japanese Chef Knife

In Japan, knives originally brought from Europe, known as Chef's knives or French knives, are called Gyuto. They are usually double-edged and have a blade length of 18-27 cm. Gyuto knives are also known as all-purpose knives because they can cut meat, fish, vegetables and any other material.

Gyuto knives are believed to have been introduced to Japan in the early Meiji period (1868-1912), when European culture flowed into the country following the collapse of Japan's national isolation system in 1854, and the number of European restaurants increased. With the opening of Japan to the world, the ban on eating beef was also lifted, which had been forbidden in Japan.

Knives from Europe are thought to have been called Gyuto (Gyu means beef and TO means kitchen knife), against the background that beef was a symbolic part of European cuisine.

Santoku knives are household knives with a wider blade and shorter blade length than the Gyuto, and their basic use is the same as that of the Gyuto.

(Source: How to select, use, grow for knives and whetstones. Shibatashoten Co., Ltd.)