Santoku

right|thumb|A traditional wa-handled Japanese santoku knife right|thumb|A European-style santoku knife with a Kitchen knife indentation|Granton edge (fluted blade) The santoku bōchō or bunka bōchō is a general-purpose kitchen knife originating in Japan. Its blade is typically between long, and has a flat edge. The santoku has a sheep's foot-tipped blade that curves down an angle approaching 60 degrees at the point. The bunka bōchō, however, has a k-tip (aka reverse tanto). The term santoku may refer to the wide variety of ingredients that the knife can handle: fish, meat, and vegetables, or to the tasks it can perform: chopping, dicing, and slicing, with either interpretation indicating a multi-use, general-purpose kitchen knife. The term bunka, refers to how it is used for the cultural food of Japan. The blade and handle of the santoku are designed to work in harmony by matching the blade's width and weight to the weight of the tang and the handle.

== History == The santoku knife design originated in Japan, where traditionally a deba knife is used to cut fish, a gyuto knife is used to cut meat, and a nakiri knife is used to cut vegetables. This knife was created in the 1940s to combine the three virtues of each of these traditional knives into one universal generalist knife — the santoku bōchō.