Shotoh knife: a small Japanese sword for in your kitchen
A shotoh is the practical little knife for all kinds of precision work. Any task for which your chef's knife, gyuto or santoku is just too big: you can grab your shotoh. The shotoh is the Japanese version of the European paring knife. The shotoh is pretty much identical to the petty knife, with 'petty' being the more European term, and 'shotoh' being more common in Japan. Shotoh means 'small sword' in Japanese.
Features of shotoh knives
Shotohs come in many different sizes. Anything between 8 cm and 15 cm. Furthermore, a shotoh's design can differ per brand.
How to choose the best shotoh knife
You choose a good shotoh by considering the length of the blade. It should complement your gyuto, santoku or chef's knife. Does your primary kitchen knife measure just 18 cm? Then a smaller shotoh will complement it perfectly. Do you do most cutting tasks with a 24-cm chef's knife? Then you can also choose a slightly larger shotoh knife.