VG-10 is one of the most trusted stainless steels in the cutlery world, and this 165mm nakiri from the Masakage Kiri line shows why. The core is hardened to 61 to 62 HRC and wrapped in a stainless Damascus cladding that takes on a soft, hazy pattern, which is exactly what kiri means in Japanese.
The nakiri shape is built around a tall, flat profile and a squared tip, ideal for push cutting straight through vegetables rather than rocking the blade. This example is ground thin and finished with a symmetrical 50/50 edge, along with hand engraved kanji along the spine. The handle is oval magnolia wood with a red dyed pakka wood ferrule, and the entire knife is handmade at Takefu Knife Village in Echizen by Yoshimi Kato, son in law of fellow smith Hiroshi Kato and one of the more recognizable names working out of the village.
What Customers Are Saying:Reviewers consistently point to a sharp out of the box edge, a flat profile that flies through vegetables, and a thin grind that makes the knife feel light and nimble in hand. One professional cook reported going almost three weeks of daily six to eight hour kitchen use before needing a full sharpening, with only regular honing in between. The most common critique is food release, since a couple of buyers noted some sticking on the blade compared to other gyutos in their rotation, and one new owner mentioned the handle picked up stains after skipping an oil treatment early on. Taken together, the feedback points to a thin, high performing blade that rewards a bit of extra care.
Care Instructions:Because both the VG-10 core and the Damascus cladding are stainless, day to day maintenance stays simple. Hand wash and dry the blade rather than placing it in a dishwasher, and keep it away from bones and frozen foods. An occasional wipe down of the handle with a food safe oil helps keep its look consistent, and regular sharpening on quality water stones will keep the edge at its best.
The nakiri shape is built around a tall, flat profile and a squared tip, ideal for push cutting straight through vegetables rather than rocking the blade. This example is ground thin and finished with a symmetrical 50/50 edge, along with hand engraved kanji along the spine. The handle is oval magnolia wood with a red dyed pakka wood ferrule, and the entire knife is handmade at Takefu Knife Village in Echizen by Yoshimi Kato, son in law of fellow smith Hiroshi Kato and one of the more recognizable names working out of the village.
What Customers Are Saying:Reviewers consistently point to a sharp out of the box edge, a flat profile that flies through vegetables, and a thin grind that makes the knife feel light and nimble in hand. One professional cook reported going almost three weeks of daily six to eight hour kitchen use before needing a full sharpening, with only regular honing in between. The most common critique is food release, since a couple of buyers noted some sticking on the blade compared to other gyutos in their rotation, and one new owner mentioned the handle picked up stains after skipping an oil treatment early on. Taken together, the feedback points to a thin, high performing blade that rewards a bit of extra care.
Care Instructions:Because both the VG-10 core and the Damascus cladding are stainless, day to day maintenance stays simple. Hand wash and dry the blade rather than placing it in a dishwasher, and keep it away from bones and frozen foods. An occasional wipe down of the handle with a food safe oil helps keep its look consistent, and regular sharpening on quality water stones will keep the edge at its best.
- Brand: Masakage
- Blacksmith: Yoshimi Kato
- Location: Echizen, Japan
- Workshop: Takefu Knife Village
- Construction: San Mai, Hammer Forged
- Core Steel: VG-10
- Cladding: 49-layer Stainless Damascus
- HRC: 61-62
- Edge Grind: 50/50
- Handle: Magnolia Wood Oval
- Ferrule: Red Dyed Pakka Wood
- Engraving: Hand Engraved
- Weight: 5.8 oz (164 g)
- Blade Length: 170 mm
- Total Length: 320 mm
- Spine Thickness at Heel: 4 mm
- Blade Height: 59 mm
Reviews
4 review(s) WRITE A REVIEW (Reviews are subject to approval) Masakage Kiri VG-10 Nakiri 165mm Posted By: yia
46 people found this review helpful
I buy all my knives for CKTG, i recently purchase Masakage Kiri VG-10 Nakiri 165mm and this is a must have in your collections. Its sharp right out the box, well balance and holds its edge great, I wish they would of made a saya to fit this size Nakiri. Thank you CKTG for this well priced and amazing knife.
46 people found this review helpful
I buy all my knives for CKTG, i recently purchase Masakage Kiri VG-10 Nakiri 165mm and this is a must have in your collections. Its sharp right out the box, well balance and holds its edge great, I wish they would of made a saya to fit this size Nakiri. Thank you CKTG for this well priced and amazing knife.
Beautiful knife, wildly sharp. Some stickage with ingredientsPosted By: Angus
44 people found this review helpful
I was in the market for a tall nakiri and saw this one. The good height, flat profile and longer blade (170mm) all looked perfect for what I wanted. It's also very thin and slices through ingredients very well - absolutely flies through anything you put underneath it
My one gripe is that things stick to the blade. I have a 210 mm tanaka gyuto that has great product separation/food release. I can't say the same here, unfortunately. But it does have quite a thin grind, so I suppose that is the trade off.
Still, I'm really enjoying cooking with this knife. I do see years of good use ahead, and perhaps my cutting technique will improve to minimize the sticking issue. If I had to choose again, I may have gone with the masakage yuki nakiri, but I am very happy with this knife!
44 people found this review helpful
I was in the market for a tall nakiri and saw this one. The good height, flat profile and longer blade (170mm) all looked perfect for what I wanted. It's also very thin and slices through ingredients very well - absolutely flies through anything you put underneath it
My one gripe is that things stick to the blade. I have a 210 mm tanaka gyuto that has great product separation/food release. I can't say the same here, unfortunately. But it does have quite a thin grind, so I suppose that is the trade off.
Still, I'm really enjoying cooking with this knife. I do see years of good use ahead, and perhaps my cutting technique will improve to minimize the sticking issue. If I had to choose again, I may have gone with the masakage yuki nakiri, but I am very happy with this knife!
IncrediblePosted By: Amatuer Chef - verified customer
17 people found this review helpful
I've purchased 4 knives from this website now and this is still by far my favorite. I've had it for about 5 months and used it in every single meal I've made since then, it's definitely my daily driver. After cooking on average of 2-3 times a week in the past few months, I've only just now thinned it for the first time. Pros:Absolutely gorgeous. This knife is a work of art and looks even better in personComes really sharp. 8/10 sharpness out of the boxVery easy to sharpen and get a laser edge I like how tall it is, great for scooping up all those veggies you just chopped upVery flat bladeVery thinGreat weight, not crazy heavy, not light Balance point encourages you to push cut or chop straight downCons:I haven't used any sort of oil on the handle (My bad, not the knife's fault) and it's definitely stained. It's a little less polished of a handle than it looks in the pictures and will definitely get some stains just from your hands if you don't oil it. Doesn't seem to hold razor sharpness for long. I use a wooden cutting board, and I sharpen it down to a 1500 grit shapton stone. It might hold longer if I finished with a 3000 or so. I probably sharpen it every 3 uses (Just to keep it razor sharp. It's still pretty sharp after like 6 uses or more) No other complaints! Also, since it takes an edge so quickly it doesn't bother me to sharpen it often. We're talking like 10 minutes of work everytime. Mostly just on the 1500, sometimes using a 300 first.
17 people found this review helpful
I've purchased 4 knives from this website now and this is still by far my favorite. I've had it for about 5 months and used it in every single meal I've made since then, it's definitely my daily driver. After cooking on average of 2-3 times a week in the past few months, I've only just now thinned it for the first time. Pros:Absolutely gorgeous. This knife is a work of art and looks even better in personComes really sharp. 8/10 sharpness out of the boxVery easy to sharpen and get a laser edge I like how tall it is, great for scooping up all those veggies you just chopped upVery flat bladeVery thinGreat weight, not crazy heavy, not light Balance point encourages you to push cut or chop straight downCons:I haven't used any sort of oil on the handle (My bad, not the knife's fault) and it's definitely stained. It's a little less polished of a handle than it looks in the pictures and will definitely get some stains just from your hands if you don't oil it. Doesn't seem to hold razor sharpness for long. I use a wooden cutting board, and I sharpen it down to a 1500 grit shapton stone. It might hold longer if I finished with a 3000 or so. I probably sharpen it every 3 uses (Just to keep it razor sharp. It's still pretty sharp after like 6 uses or more) No other complaints! Also, since it takes an edge so quickly it doesn't bother me to sharpen it often. We're talking like 10 minutes of work everytime. Mostly just on the 1500, sometimes using a 300 first.
AmazingPosted By: Matt McCloud - verified customer
18 people found this review helpful
I have been a proud owner of this knife for a little over a year now and work in a professional kitchen that goes through cases of produce at a time. This blade did not need to be sharpened on a whetstone for almost 3 weeks after i started using it for 6-8 hours a day cutting through everything from a delicate tomato to a lg carrot. I now have to sharpen this knife on a 1000 then 6000 grit stone weekly with regular honing on my ceramic Mac honer. Amazing tool very very easy to re-sharpen.
18 people found this review helpful
I have been a proud owner of this knife for a little over a year now and work in a professional kitchen that goes through cases of produce at a time. This blade did not need to be sharpened on a whetstone for almost 3 weeks after i started using it for 6-8 hours a day cutting through everything from a delicate tomato to a lg carrot. I now have to sharpen this knife on a 1000 then 6000 grit stone weekly with regular honing on my ceramic Mac honer. Amazing tool very very easy to re-sharpen.
