Five Japanese Gyuto Compared: Maker Specs Side by Side

Five Japanese Gyuto Compared: Maker Specs Side by Side

ByYayoi

Researched. Every figure below was read on the maker’s own website on October 7, 2026. We have not used or handled these knives, and we do not recommend one over another. Where a maker does not publish a figure, the table says “not stated”. Prices are the makers’ tax-inclusive prices in Japan on that date, except where noted; prices abroad differ. This article contains no affiliate links.

A gyuto is the Japanese form of the Western chef’s knife, usually longer than a santoku. This article is the gyuto counterpart of our santoku specification comparison: it puts five makers’ published specifications side by side, in their own words, so you can compare what they actually claim.

In short: Only Tojiro names a steel grade (VG-10); Masahiro names its own MBS-26 steel, and KAI, Global and Suncraft name no grade. Only Masahiro states a hardness (HRC 58–59), listed weights run from about 146 g to about 200 g, and only the Tojiro F-808 and Global G-2 appear on their makers’ English sites under the same codes.

Which knives, and why these

We chose one mid-range stainless or clad gyuto of 200–210 mm (7.9–8.3 in) from each of five makers whose official websites publish specifications. Four are the same makers and series as in the santoku article: Tojiro (Niigata), KAI (Gifu), Global by Yoshikin (Niigata) and Masahiro (Gifu). The fifth maker there was Yaxell, but the gyuto and chef’s knives we found on Yaxell’s Japanese site, including the Kaneyoshi-saku VG10 chef’s knife, are listed with an 18 cm (7.1 in) blade, which is outside this range. In its place we used Suncraft (Gifu), whose site publishes specifications for a 200 mm (7.9 in) chef’s knife. We again wanted to include Misono, but the page for its UX10 series shows the gyuto as photographs with model numbers and blade lengths only (a 210 mm gyuto is listed as No. 712), with no weights, prices, steel or other specifications, so there was not enough to compare.

The knives are not equivalent in price or purpose: Masahiro lists its MV-S in its commercial-use (gyomu-yo) series, while Global describes the G-2 as a first knife. We note this in the table rather than leaving it out.

The specifications, side by side

A 240 mm (9.4 in) gyuto. It is not one of the five knives compared here.
A 240 mm (9.4 in) gyuto. It is not one of the five knives compared here. Photo: Benlisquare, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Tojiro CLASSIC Gyuto 210 mm (F-808)KAI Seki Magoroku Damascus Gyuto 210 mm (AE5205)Global G-2 Gyuto 20 cm (7.9 in)Masahiro MV-S Gyuto 210 mm (No. 13611)Suncraft MOKA Chef’s Knife 200 mm (MK-01)
Blade lengthabout 210 mm (8.3 in)210 mm (8.3 in)20 cm (7.9 in)210 mm (8.3 in)about 200 mm (7.9 in)
Overall lengthabout 335 mm (13.2 in)330 mm (13.0 in)33 cm (13.0 in)not statedabout 330 mm (13.0 in)
Weightabout 200 g165 g170 g170 gabout 146 g
Blade thicknessnot stated2 mm (0.08 in)not stated2.0 mm (0.08 in), given as the thickness of the base materialnot stated
Blade steel, as statedCore VG-10, clad with 13-chrome stainless steelStainless clad: “high-carbon stainless cutlery steel” edge, stainless sides (steel grade not named)“Stainless steel for cutlery (with molybdenum and vanadium)”Masahiro’s own stainless steel MBS-26: 0.9% carbon, 13% chromium, molybdenum, vanadium“Molybdenum vanadium stainless steel” (steel grade not named)
Hardnessnot statednot statednot statedHRC 58–59not stated
HandleLaminated reinforced material, with bolsterLaminated reinforced wood, integral welded bolster18-8 stainless steelAntibacterial stainless steel, integral bolster18-8 stainless steel, hollow, one piece with the blade
EdgeDouble-bevel, right- or left-handedRight- or left-handed (the store page says the knife can be used by left-handers)Double-bevel, right- or left-handednot statednot stated
Dishwashernot statedNot dishwasher-safe, per the series comparison chart on the store page (the chart compares each series’ 165 mm santoku)not statednot statedDishwasher use is possible, per the product page
Country of manufacture, as stated on the product pagenot stated on the product page (the shop’s site title describes its knives as Tsubame-Sanjo-made)Japannot statednot stated (the company is in Seki, Gifu)Japan; the page also cites the “Seki no Hamono” regional brand
Maker’s price (tax included, Japan, Oct 7, 2026)¥14,300 (tax included, per Tojiro’s series page; the store product page shows the same figure without a tax label)¥18,700¥12,100¥24,200¥9,900
Maker’s own description of who it is forCalls the gyuto “a general all-purpose knife”; also claims commercial-grade sharpness with easy careDescribed as a premium line that “also meets professional needs”“Recommended as a first knife”; the 20 cm (7.9 in) length suits large items such as whole cabbageListed in Masahiro’s commercial-use series; the page says it “draws out the subtle skills of professionals”Says the series was made in the hope that people who love cooking will use a good knife for many years

What the table shows

  • The steel is often not named. Only Tojiro names a steel grade (VG-10). KAI’s page describes the edge steel only as high-carbon stainless cutlery steel, Global’s page says stainless cutlery steel with molybdenum and vanadium, and Suncraft’s page says molybdenum vanadium stainless steel. Masahiro names its own alloy, MBS-26, and gives its composition. If a retailer’s listing names a grade the maker does not, ask where that figure comes from.
  • Hardness is rarely published. Masahiro is the only one of the five to state a Rockwell hardness (HRC 58–59). Treat hardness figures you see elsewhere for the other four as the seller’s claim, not the maker’s.
  • Weights differ by 54 g. Suncraft’s 200 mm (7.9 in) knife is listed at about 146 g, Tojiro’s 210 mm (8.3 in) knife at about 200 g. The other three are listed at 165–170 g. Global notes that dimensions and weight vary slightly between individual knives.
  • Construction differs. Tojiro and KAI describe clad blades with a different steel at the core or edge; Global, Masahiro and Suncraft each name one stainless steel for the blade and do not describe cladding. Our steel guide explains what that means for sharpening.
  • Dishwashers: two pages address this, and they disagree by knife. KAI’s comparison chart marks the Damascus series as not dishwasher-safe; Suncraft’s page says a dishwasher can be used with the MOKA. The other three pages do not say. Follow the care instructions that come with the knife; our care guide collects what the makers say in general.
  • Three handles are stainless steel. Global, Masahiro and Suncraft list stainless steel handles; Tojiro and KAI list laminated reinforced material or wood with a bolster.

Notes on each maker’s page

  • Tojiro sells the F-808 under the name “Tojiro CLASSIC”, which its series page describes as its long-selling clad (warikomi) line, used “from homes to professional cooks”. The series page says some shapes in the line received a Good Design award in 1981 and the Good Design Long Life Design award in 1996. The store product page shows ¥14,300 without a tax label; Tojiro’s series page lists the same knife at ¥14,300 including tax.
  • KAI says the integral bolster is welded to the blade so that moisture and rust cannot get in, and that the handle is laminated reinforced wood. The store page gives the price as ¥18,700, or ¥17,000 before tax, and shows the model number as 000AE5205. Its spec table does not name the edge steel beyond “high-carbon stainless cutlery steel”.
  • Global sells the G-2 as its 20 cm (7.9 in) gyuto and says on the product page that the longer blade suits large ingredients. It also warns not to cut frozen food, pumpkin, corn, dried mochi, bones or shells with it.
  • Masahiro lists the MV-S gyuto in its commercial-use series, with sub-zero treatment and an antibacterial stainless handle. The page gives the price as ¥24,200 including tax, while a category tag on the same page reads “15,000~19,999 yen”; we report both.
  • Suncraft describes the MOKA as an all-stainless, one-piece knife made in its own factory, with a hollow handle to reduce weight. The page gives the size as about 330 × 48 × 20 mm and says the series received a Good Design award in 2008.

Can you buy these outside Japan?

This matters more than the specs if you live abroad, so we checked the makers’ own international pages on October 7, 2026.

  • Tojiro: the F-808 appears under the same code, as “Chef Knife 210mm”, in the “TOJIRO CLASSIC” series on Tojiro’s English site, which lists authorized distributors for Japan and overseas and warns that some sellers on amazon.com are unauthorized and may sell counterfeits. Tojiro’s Japanese online shop lists shipping rates for Japan only.
  • Global: the G-2 is listed under the same code, with a 20 cm blade, on Yoshikin’s English site. Yoshikin’s FAQ says it does not do international shipping.
  • KAI: KAI Europe sells a “Sekimagoroku” range, but the series it shows (Kaname, Composite, Ensei, Shoso and others) do not include the Damascus series sold in Japan, and KAI USA’s site lists Shun and Kai Housewares rather than Seki Magoroku. Treat the AE5205 as a Japan-market model unless a KAI site in your country lists it.
  • Masahiro: its dealer list covers regions of Japan only. We found no official overseas distributor information.
  • Suncraft: its English site has a MOKA series page, but on the day we checked, the product list on that page was empty, and we found no listing for the MK-01 there.

In short, two of the five (Tojiro F-808 and Global G-2) appear on their makers’ English sites under the same codes; the other three are, as far as the makers’ sites show, Japanese-market models you would buy in Japan or through an importer. See our guide to buying a kitchen knife in Japan for carrying one home.

How to use this

If you are choosing between knives like these, decide first on handle material and weight, then on whether you want a named steel. Then check the maker’s page yourself before buying: specifications change, and the pages we read are linked below. We will update this table when we find a change; the date at the top is the date we last checked.

Sources

We check facts against the sources above, as described in our Editorial & Accuracy Policy. If you spot an error, please tell us through our contact form.

Yayoi is the editor of Shokunin Journal, based in Tokyo. She cooks for her family every day with a Japanese kitchen knife, and its sharpness is what got her interested in Japanese knives. Yayoi reads makers' catalogs and Japanese-language sources, compares the published facts, and reports what she finds in plain English.

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