Shigemitsu Hamono Funayuki-bocho 135mm Shirogami #2

Basics first, the funayuki knife is an all-purpose piece that's great for preparing family meals. In that sense it sits in the same category as a santoku, a bunka, or a bannou. You know one when you see one - the gently curved spine sweeping down to meet a comparatively flat blade path. If we had to pin it down we'd tell you that this is a great knife for a vegetable-heavy diet supplemented with more fish than meat, but hey, that's the usual Japanese diet. If you want to live a long time buy a funayuki. 

The big question. Is it foo-na-yoo-ki or fun-a-yucky? Funayuki knives are fun, yes, but thankfully we say foo-na-yoo-ki (short oo's, please). 'Yuku' is go, 'funa' is related to working on the sea, so it's a going-boating knife without the sense of leisure, a do-it-all tool for preparing meals at sea. Or meals in your kitchen.

Shigemitsu Hamono offers three lengths of foonayooki: sho, chu and dai. Small, middle, big. This is the just-right middle size, hitting a sweet spot with its sturdy blade and sharpness.