Seki Kyuba SHIN Chef’s Gyuto 21cm
The Seki Kyuba SHIN Gyuto 21cm is a chef’s knife that combines traditional Japanese craftsmanship with modern culinary demands. Featuring SG2/R2 powdered steel and a 31-layer Damascus construction, this knife offers exceptional sharpness and edge retention that will impress even the most discerning cook. The 21cm length provides versatility for a wide range of ingredients, while the hammered finish adds both beauty and functionality. Whether you’re slicing meats, chopping vegetables, or performing precision cuts, this Gyuto will elevate your cooking experience to new heights.
Lifetime warranty
Every knife we have ever made, covered for life.
Free UK delivery
Included on every order over £90.
100-day returns
Use it for three months. Send it back if it isn't right.
Hand-finished box
Hanko-stamped certificate, 5 yen coin tucked alongside.
Why this knife
The blade, and the thinking behind it.
The Gyuto
The Seki Kyuba SHIN Gyuto, available in both 21cm and 24cm lengths, is the Japanese interpretation of the classic chef’s knife. “Gyuto” translates to “cow sword” in Japanese, originally used for cutting beef but now prized as an all-purpose kitchen knife. These lengths offer ample cutting surface for most kitchen tasks whilst maintaining agility.
Featuring an SG2/R2 powdered steel core within a 31-layer Damascus construction, the SHIN Gyuto represents the zenith of Japanese bladesmithing. The SG2/R2 core ensures exceptional edge retention and sharpness, whilst the 31 layers provide added durability, stain resistance, and create a mesmerising Damascus pattern. The blade’s hammered finish, combined with the Damascus pattern, not only creates a breathtaking aesthetic but also helps to reduce food sticking during use.
The Gyuto’s versatile profile, with a gentle curve along the cutting edge, allows for both rocking cuts and push-cutting techniques. This adaptability makes it suitable for a wide range of ingredients and cutting styles. The 21cm version offers a balance of size and agility, while the 24cm version provides extra length for larger ingredients or batch preparation.
Available in Mediterranean Blue, Olive Green, and Natural Brown, the SHIN Gyuto is a true work of art that performs as beautifully as it looks. Each colour option features a handle crafted from durable, stabilised wood, ensuring a secure and comfortable grip.
If you prefer a shorter, more nimble blade for everyday tasks, consider the Santoku instead. However, if you’re looking for a larger, multi-purpose knife that can handle a wide variety of ingredients and cutting techniques, the Gyuto is an excellent choice.
The Blade
The blade in the Seki Kyuba SHIN line is designed to make cooking more enjoyable as cutting through produce will become an effortless task. The blade is handcrafted by skilled Japanese blacksmiths in Seki, Gifu village in Japan with high-end Japanese SG2/R2 high carbon stainless powder steel, with 31-layers Damascus. SG2, also known as Super Gold 2, is a high-end, high carbon stainless steel known for being a tough steel with excellent edge retention and easy maintenance.
The sharp blade is set in a premium-cut, waterproof stabilised maple burl wood available in Mediterranean Blue, Olive Green, or Natural Brown.
The knife comes in a handcrafted, minimalist wooden box wrapped in a unique illustration strip. SG2/R2 steel offers an excellent balance between toughness, durability, and razor sharpness. The blade has an impressive Rockwell Hardness rating (HRC) of 63-64, which means the edge stays noticeably sharper for a longer time. This means you won’t have to worry about sharpening them often. The blade allows foods to be easily and promptly cut with precision.
The Handle
The beautiful handle is made with extremely limited European maple burl dyed in an Natural Brown, Mediterraean Blue or Olive Green colour and feature a subtle copper ring under the oak bog wood kakumaki (collar of the handle). The wood has to be dried for two years before it undergoes the process of stabilisation. This ensures the wood is completely waterproof to avoid bacteria growth and is able to last generations.
The blade’s kakumaki (collar) is made with oak bog wood. A wood ranging from 2,500 to 5,000 years in age. Its age and living conditions give it a unique character and rich natural colour variation determined by its age. Giving you a knife with a rich history.
The stabilised premium-cut maple burl is shaped into an octagonal shaped ambidextrous handle to give you a firm grip on the knife. Not only are the handles aesthetically pleasing, they are also perfectly balanced, light and comfortable. This allows for maximum precision and more controlled movements during use.
No two handle colours or patterns are ever the same as the natural properties of each wood block are unique and will absorb the colour dye differently. This will give each knife a beautiful unique look and it can serve as an unforgettable gift.
Because Presentation Matters Just As Much
All our Seki Kyuba SHIN kitchen knives arrive in a handcrafted, minimalist European oak wooden box with a delicate waxed finish. The box is wrapped in our signature Oishya illustration strip featuring the Onna Bugeisha – legendary Japanese female warriors.
Inside, you’ll discover a beautifully designed certificate with two sides, each telling an important part of your knife’s story.
On one side, you’ll find a genuine 5 yen Japanese coin attached with an elegant note. There’s an ancient superstition that giving someone a knife is bad luck because it “cuts” the relationship between giver and recipient. The way around this? Attach a coin of symbolic value to the knife, which the recipient returns as payment.
We chose the 5 yen coin specifically because in Japanese, go en (五円) is a homophone with go-en (御縁), meaning “relationship,” “connection,” and “bond.” By exchanging this coin with the receiver, you’re not just avoiding bad luck – you’re actively strengthening your connection.
The reverse features your knife’s Certificate of Authenticity, documenting genuine Oishya craftsmanship from Japan’s legendary blade-making regions. Each certificate is hand-stamped with our traditional Japanese hanko seal – a mark of authenticity used in Japan for centuries.
The Blacksmith
The spirit of Samurai “Bushido” has never faded away from the history of Japan. The art of greatest sword smiths has been inherited through 780 years till now and it’s present in Japan’s Samurai Knife City, Seki in Gifu Prefecture, where Seki Kyuba knives are made.
High quality katana and kitchen blades are made with Japan’s traditional swordsmith technique and the latest technology, and are famed throughout the world today, especially high end kitchen knives.
Our partnership with one of the most talented and prominent blacksmiths of Japan resulted in Seki Kyuba kitchen knives, that are perfect for those that demand the highest quality. Being part of the Japanese knife community and owning a knife like this is a great honour and pleasure. We welcome you to Kyuba knives world.
The hands that make it
Seki. Seven hundred years of blade-making.
Seki, in Gifu, has been forging blades since the fourteenth century — first samurai swords, then kitchen knives. The workshop we work with forges five of our six lines.
The handle is finished in Małopolska, Poland, by craftsmen who shape every handle by hand: a stabilised maple burl body and a bog oak ferrule — the kakumaki. The blade and handle meet at a single hand-fitted copper ring, set with a soft tap of a wooden mallet, in an octagonal profile.
Care, briefly
Three habits, and it outlasts you.
01.
Hand wash, dry immediately.
Never the dishwasher. Sixty seconds at the sink, then a soft towel. Water on hard Japanese steel is the only thing that rusts it.
02.
Wood boards only.
Glass, stone and marble are harder than the steel and dull the edge in a week. End-grain hardwood is the right choice — hinoki cypress if you can find it.
03.
Sharpen on a stone.
Never a honing rod — the steel is too hard, it chips the edge. A 1000/6000 whetstone every three or four months keeps it keen.
What you receive
In the box.
- The knife, sharpened, oiled, wrapped in cloth.
- A hand-finished box for the knife.
- A Certificate of Authenticity, hand-stamped with the maker's hanko, naming the smith and certifying the blade.
- A 5 yen coin tucked alongside. "Go en" — the Japanese for five yen — is the homophone for luck, connection and bond. Returning the coin to the giver turns the gift-knife into a symbolic purchase, neutralising the old superstition that a knife as a gift cuts the bond between giver and receiver.
- A care card with the sixty-second wash routine and a link to Knife School.
- Your lifetime warranty, registered to you automatically when the order ships.
Frequently asked.
Is it dishwasher safe?
How often will I need to sharpen it?
Can I use it to cut meat?
How long does shipping take?
What if it isn't right for my kitchen?
From the people who cook with it
Reviews.
Impressive knife. The single-bevel grind takes some getting used to if you’re coming from Western knives, but once you adapt, the precision is unmatched. Great steel, beautiful finish.
A lovely set with excellent knives. The quality is apparent as soon as you pick them up. Each knife has great edge retention and the handles are comfortable. Delivery took a little longer than expected but the wait was worth it.
A lovely set with excellent knives. The quality is apparent as soon as you pick them up. Each knife has great edge retention and the handles are comfortable. Delivery took a little longer than expected but the wait was worth it.
Beautiful knife with an aggressive edge. The bunka shape was new to me but I’m a convert now. Works brilliantly for my style of cooking. The handle could be slightly longer for my preference, but overall a superb knife.
Beautiful knife with an aggressive edge. The bunka shape was new to me but I’m a convert now. Works brilliantly for my style of cooking. The handle could be slightly longer for my preference, but overall a superb knife.
Good quality sharpening stone that does what it promises. I use it to maintain my Japanese knives every few weeks. The grit is consistent and it doesn’t dish out too quickly. Solid purchase for the price.
This petty knife fills the gap perfectly between my gyuto and a paring knife. Great for fruits, small vegetables, and garnish work. The steel quality is noticeably better than anything in this price range.
This petty knife fills the gap perfectly between my gyuto and a paring knife. Great for fruits, small vegetables, and garnish work. The steel quality is noticeably better than anything in this price range.
This petty knife fills the gap perfectly between my gyuto and a paring knife. Great for fruits, small vegetables, and garnish work. The steel quality is noticeably better than anything in this price range.
This petty knife fills the gap perfectly between my gyuto and a paring knife. Great for fruits, small vegetables, and garnish work. The steel quality is noticeably better than anything in this price range.
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