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  • Masashi KOKUEN Nakiri 165mm from Masashi Yamamoto
  • Masashi KOKUEN Nakiri 165mm from Masashi Yamamoto
  • Masashi KOKUEN Nakiri 165mm from Masashi Yamamoto
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Masashi KOKUEN Nakiri 165mm

Masashi KOKUEN Nakiri 165mm

$404.00 AUD
$404.00 AUD
Sale Sold out

Shipping calculated at checkout.

TLDR ⓘ - Too long; didn't read - A quick summary that cuts to the chase.
Performance art in knife form. Great for those who value performance above all else, these knives are handmade by one of the best blacksmiths in Japan, look beautiful and will blow your socks off. The super thin edge glides effortlessly through food but they can be delicate!

Frustrated? Learn more about why Japanese knives are frequently out of stock.

Collar/Ferule colour may vary from light brown to almost black. You can see examples of the variation here.

About Masashi Kokuen -  This blade's core is made from hard SLD steel clad in softer stainless steel, which Masashi-san can push to the absolute limit of hardness through his impressive skill and a couple of top-secret techniques. In plain English, this means they keep a crazy sharp edge for a long time but are much lower maintenance than traditional carbon steel blades. He sharpens blades in a unique way, making the back end more robust for chopping and the tip more precise for delicate work.

The dark finish of the Kokuen gives its name. Meaning ‘black smoke’ in Japanese, the Kokuen is inspired by the atmosphere of Masashi’s workshop.

First training with his brother at Yoshikane, then striking out on his own, Masashi Yamamoto relentlessly pursues the creation of a perfect knife using the traditional techniques passed down in his family and augmented by a modern understanding of metallurgy. He’s also a certified badass, forging in flip-flops and lighting cigarettes off red-hot steel like an 80’s action hero. 

About the Shape - A Nakiri is a vegetable knife. Under utilized in the Western kitchen, the Nakiri’s flat blade is meant for the push/pull chopping of vegetables. Since the entire flat edge of the knife kisses the cutting board at once, you wont be turning the vegetable into an accordion. Accordion vegetables are still connected like a paper doll after you're “done” cutting them. To truly understand the awesomeness of a Nakiri we recommend making onion soup your first night with the knife. The ease of chopping will blow you away


Shape Nakiri
Maintenance Level Low
Blade Length 165 mm |
Blade Height 54.3 mm
Thickness 3.2 mm / 1.4 mm
ⓘAbove the Heel / 1cm from the tip.
Weight 183 g
Steel Type SLD Semi-Stainless Steel with Stainless Steel Cladding
Rockwell Hardness 63–64
Edge/Bevel Double (50/50)
Handle Wa (Japanese) Handle - Octagon Red Ebony Water Buffalo Horn Collar
Knife Line Masashi KOKUEN
Blacksmith Masashi Yamamoto
Made in Sanjo, Niigata, Japan

A note about measurements: Handmade Japanese knives can vary in their dimensions, so these measurements are only an example.


A NOTE ABOUT RUST

Semi-stainless steel is a compromise between the edge retention of carbon steel
and the rust resistance of stainless. This steel will rust if you let it. To avoid “bad” rust (orange rust) Wipe the knife dry with a dry cloth after use. By this we mean: between cutting and putting the knife down, wipe it dry. Overtime the blade will begin to protect itself with an oxide layer (grey to dark grey “good” rust), this will slow the reaction time but not inhibit the rust entirely. Maintain the good habit of drying off your knife.

USE  

• Only cut food you can bite through with this knife. Hard foods can chip the blade. No olive pits, bones,  lobster shells, woody stems or parmesan rinds. Cutting frozen food is especially bad because the cold will make hard steel even more brittle. If you wouldn’t chew it with your own teeth, don’t cut it.  

• Your cutting surface is the biggest culprit of dulling your knife. Use wood. End-grain wood is especially good. Plastic can be fine too, but certainly not glass,  granite or bamboo. 

• The edge of your knife works best sliding forwards or backwards. Scraping the knife edge sideways will dull or damage the edge. Instead, use the spine of the knife to move foods across the cutting board. Do not twist the edge or pry with the edge, this is the worst screwdriver you ever bought and these motions will certainly damage the edge. Listen to the knife! If you can hear the edge making a “tink”  sound on the cutting board, change what you are doing.  

CLEANING  

• After use, wash the knife by hand with regular dish soap, rinse with hot water  and dry by hand immediately. Dishwashers are very bad for knives.  

• Wood handles may dry out over time and exposure to water. Simply treat them  with some food safe mineral oil or beeswax.  

• If you see orange rust, remove it. The scrubby side of a sponge can do the trick.  If it’s still not coming off try baking soda and water mixed into a paste or a product called Barkeeper’s Friend.  

STORING  

• Protect the edge; for your safety and to avoid edge damage. A simple blade cover  will do the trick if you keep knives in a drawer or travel case. 

• A convenient wall magnet made with wood is a great way to show off your knives.  Be sure to put it back spine first, then roll it onto the blade face. This will keep the  edge from contacting the wood first.  

• The good-ol’ counter top block can keep knives at the ready and protected. So can drawer inserts. Whatever the method, keep the edge from touching anything else. 


SKU: MSKKE165NA

Shipping and Returns

We aim to ship your order within 1 business day at Knifewear, if there is a hold up, we'll aim to let you know and give you a timeline.

We offer $3 shipping on orders over $100* anywhere in Canada and $200* to customers in the USA. We ship worldwide, and offer up to the minute rates from our shipping partner DHL.

*Konro Grills and some other larger items are excluded from the free shipping offer.

How do I make a return on an online order?
No worries, we've got you sorted. Head over to https://knifewear.mom/returns and follow the prompts. 

Can I pick up my order Curbside / At the store?
Absolutely, as long as all the items you are looking for are in stock at the location you want to pickup from, you'll be able to select that at the checkout. If one or more items aren't at your preferred location we are happy to ship it to you. 

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Overall rating: 4.974359 / 5 from 39 reviews.

AI Generated Review Summary

The Masashi KOKUEN Nakiri 165mm knife is praised for its sharp blade and exceptional cutting performance, making it ideal for vegetable chopping. Its unique design and robust construction ensure a long-lasting, low-maintenance tool for the kitchen.

Summary topics

  • Blade Sharpness (17%): Many customers loved the blade, stating it is almost food stick-free and makes for a fine cut.
  • Overall Knife Performance (62%): Many customers expressed appreciation for the knife, stating it is amazing, fantastic, and the best they've ever used.

Review topics: ["fit","weight","performance","service","looks","finish","feels","knife","nakiri","blade","cuts","chip","employees"].

Review highlights

  • "GOOD KNIFE FOR VEGETABLE CUTTING, SHINY AND SHARP BLADE." — Reynante A.
  • "the knife is balance and work very well, slicing effortlessly." — HUY V.
  • "I also love the look, the feel, and, the mojo of this incredible knife as well." — Paul G.

Reviews

First father day present. . . to my self!

"TLDR: Knifes incredible, share, and easy to take care off and created by a TRUE craftsman, and the team at Knifewear are incredible I mean what do you say about a work of art! So let me tell you the story of my knife. I have a few knives from Knifewear and it really made me enjoy cooking and get deeper into cooking, baking and generally creating in the kitchen! So a friend of mine also enjoys cooking but he was using ancient and exceptionally dull knives so I was like lets go together man and get you a good knife and you can really start to enjoy cooking even more. So roll into Knifewear and its the day Masashi is going to be in engraving knives and I'm like hey that's cool but we are here for my friend. So the team at Knifewear get into it with my friends going the through the types of knives, the use cases bringing some for him to try (this is the thing I rave about the most when it comes to Knifewear). So he is getting close and the person behind the counter is like I know its outside of your budget but only a little and its really cool but Ill show you some Masashi knives since he will be here today. So as im hearing about the knives and the process he uses for his steel and all this im like shit. . . and I being sold a knife and yea. . . . I was. So I ended up with this gorgeous knife and we get signed up for the engraving. I got Masashi to engrave "south" for my last name, and "father" since it was the "first" father's day as my daughter will be born in October!"

— Alex S. (5/5)

Amazing

"From the time I walked in the door to the decision to purchase a Masachi Nakiri. Everyone was helpful knowledgeable the experience was beyond my expectation. I can’t wait to come back and buy more knives."

— Alisha A. (5/5)

Masashi KOKUEN Nakiri

"This knife is fantastic! Cuts through beets like butter. Amazing for chopping veggies. I have 5 Japanese knives. This is my fave! And Robbie was so helpful and patient!"

— Terry H. (5/5)

Second handmade knife, great build quality

"Heavier than anticipated, but very pleasing to use. I was used to a very thin low quality nakiri, this is different with all the weight but it pushes by itself in the veggies!"

— Antoine T. (5/5)

Wow

"Complètement malade Ce couteau 🔪 Très élégant Le tranchant est incroyable"

— Alexandre L. (5/5)

Amazing knife

"Works great"

— Jun O. (5/5)

Cutting to the Chase

"I had no idea what a difference this would make to food prep. I absolutely love it. It fits into my storage space, in it's sleeve, easily. I love the grip in my hand, it allows me to be steady with my chopping. It's beautiful to look at, I kind of feel like I'm bragging when I pull it out."

— Colleen F. (5/5)

It's pretty awesome

"the knife is balance and work very well, slicing effortlessly. Wasn't my first Nakiri but definitely up there on the top list. You won't every regret getting this baby"

— HUY V. (5/5)

Work of art!

"My first Masashi, but defiantly not my last. Beautiful finish and razor sharp, glides through vegetables like no other knife I own."

— Fabio L. (5/5)

Beautiful Knife

"This thing rocks. It looks and feels precious and cuts like a dream. I can leave it on my larchwood board for a while without any rust. Razor sharp and low maintenance. I'm quite careful with it and use it just for produce. I tried it out in the store and chose one I liked best. Employees were really great and informative. The whole experience exceeded my already high expectations."

— Arthur H. (5/5)

Q&A

What saya would fit this
Hey there! Unfortunately, we don't have any Saya that will properly fit any of Masashi-san's knives. Most saya are custom made by the manufacturer for their own knives, and Masashi-san does not produce them for his knives. Sorry about that!

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