New to our range
Now available from us: Gyotou and other Japanese kitchen knives from the Shogun brand
21.10.2025
Translation: machine translated
Japanese kitchen knives often follow clear functional principles - the Gyutou is one of them. This knife shape is designed for powerful cuts and is therefore well suited for large pieces of meat and fish.
The Japanese brand Shogun is best known for its hand saws. Now it also offers various kitchen knives. In this article, I will introduce you to a Gyotou knife in more detail.
You can find all other knives from Shogun here.
The term «Gyutou» literally means «Beef knife» (from gyu = beef and tou = blade). It refers to the Japanese version of the Western chef's knife. Japanese cuisine also recognises santokus, which are traditionally used for cutting fish, meat and vegetables. In direct comparison, the gyutou is better suited to powerful cuts, such as large pieces of meat and fish.
The handle is made of natural mahogany wood and has a steel mouthpiece. Mahogany is a dense, hard wood with good moisture resistance.
Blade construction: seven-layer Damascus steel
According to the manufacturer, the hand-forged blade is made from Damascus steel. This means that it consists of several layers of different types of steel that are joined together. Specifically, it is a seven-layer construction: a central cutting layer made of VG1 steel is surrounded on both sides by three layers of softer stainless steel.
Seven layers is a comparatively low number of layers in Damascus constructions. However, this is not a direct indicator of quality. The quality of the steels used and the craftsmanship are more important. In this knife, the focus is on the VG1 steel cutting layer, while the surrounding stainless steel layers primarily fulfil a protective and supporting function. The surface has a hammered finish.
The blade is 18 centimetres long, which is at the lower end of the typical Gyutou sizes. Weighing 138 grammes, the knife is 31 centimetres long in total. These dimensions make it a rather compact representative of its category, which is well suited for precise work.
Care of the knife
The knife is not dishwasher-safe. According to the manufacturer, you should clean and dry it by hand after each use. For re-sharpening, Shogun recommends a wet sharpening stone with a fine grain instead of a standard sharpening steel. The latter are too coarse for the hard Japanese steels and can damage the cutting edge.
You can order suitable sharpening stones from our shop, such as these two with a coarser 220/800 grit and the finer grit version with 2000/3000.
Header image: Shogun
Feels just as comfortable in front of a gaming PC as she does in a hammock in the garden. Likes the Roman Empire, container ships and science fiction books. Focuses mostly on unearthing news stories about IT and smart products.
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