Funayuki vs Santoku vs Gyuto

[Hesparus]

I've been looking at a lot of pictures of these knives lately, and there appears (to me) to be a lot of overlap. I realize that the gyuto is the biggest and the santoku has a more blunt tip, but I haven't noticed any "bright lines" that separate them. Is there something that I'm missing? Are there particular features or parameters that define these knives that my eye isn't trained to notice?
Thanks,
Chris

 

[Don Nguyen]

Generally speaking, a gyuto ranges from 210mm to 270mm, with a height at about 40-55mm at the heel. A santoku is kind of just a gyuto with the front chopped off, or a petty with extra height. Many people dislike the santoku because they'd prefer the efficiency of the gyuto or the nimbleness of the petty, but for home cooks a santoku profile is of no issue.

A funayuki is pretty confusing, and I'm not even sure. Murray Carter's version of the funayuki is kind of just a smaller gyuto. Other times a funayuki is a longer and narrower deba (single bevel). Quoted from ZKnives: "Thinner than or Miroshi Deba, but the blade is wider. Standard definition is that the knife was specifically made for fisherman for ease of handling on the boats. However, some makers use the same term for thin, double grind knives, more like Gyuto style knife."

 

[timbit]

The Santoku was a knife designed to cook western food. It cuts meat, fish, and vegetables reasonably well. It doesn't excel at any one of the tasks. It has been suggested that the word santoku means '3 virtues' or some such thing (Not 100% sure, that is what I am remembering off the top of my head)

I personally prefer a good gyuto over a santoku any day. It has a better tip for getting into tight spaces, has a lot more belly which makes it better for slicing as well as rock-cutting (or whatever it is called when you keep the tip on the board and roll the knife back and forth). a 12" gyuto will handle 90% of your kitchen work. If you are careful, you can use it to joint chickens as well. You can't expect the gyuto to go through bone, but if you pay attention to where the joints are it'll go through cartilage without being damaged.

I've never used a funayuki, so I can't comment on that. All I know is...I have a santoku for when guests come over and they help in the kitchen. It is more similar to the western/german style knives they have in their kitchen.

 

[Hesparus]

So if you start shortening and blunting the tip of a gyuto, is there a point at which it suddenly becomes a santoku, or is there a lot of grey area? I've seen blades listed as a gyuto that look more like a santoku, like this one from takeda:

- Chris

 

[Benuser]

It's not so much about a blunt tip, it's the flat profile. Most santokus are wider, though.