Kei Kobayashi is a relatively new face at the forge - before striking out on his own, he spent years working as a sharpener and finisher for established blacksmiths in Seki City, building a deep technical understanding of blade performance from the inside out. This nakiri is among his early creations, and given how recently he began forging, the quality on display here is genuinely impressive. He chose SG2 as his foundation steel: a powdered alloy renowned for its dense, pure grain structure, which makes it both harder and less brittle than many comparable steels. The SG2 core is clad in a softer stainless Damascus jacket for added protection and easier sharpening.
The nakiri is a do-it-all vegetable cutting tool - a wonderful all-around push cutter, slicer, and dicer that has become increasingly popular in home kitchens. Its tall height gives generous knuckle clearance over the cutting board, while the shorter length keeps it nimble and well suited to a wide range of produce and proteins. The rosewood octagonal handle with maple ferrule is comfortable and well finished.
What Customers Are Saying: One reviewer calls it an absolutely beautiful knife, with blade thickness well proportioned to its length and balance that feels just about perfect in hand - the Damascus pattern is subtle but clearly visible even from a distance, and the contrasting wood tones on the handle give it a striking look. His one significant complaint was that the blade arrived less sharp than expected with an uneven grind, and he recommends that buyers add the CKTG finishing sharpening service at checkout rather than risk having to fix it themselves or ship the knife back for a proper water stone sharpening.
Care Instructions: SG2 is stainless and highly resistant to rust, but it is hard and somewhat chip-prone at this hardness level. Use wood or rubber cutting boards only. Avoid bones, frozen foods, and hard materials. Hand wash and dry after use - no dishwasher. Strop regularly between sharpenings and use quality water stones when a full sharpening is needed.
The nakiri is a do-it-all vegetable cutting tool - a wonderful all-around push cutter, slicer, and dicer that has become increasingly popular in home kitchens. Its tall height gives generous knuckle clearance over the cutting board, while the shorter length keeps it nimble and well suited to a wide range of produce and proteins. The rosewood octagonal handle with maple ferrule is comfortable and well finished.
What Customers Are Saying: One reviewer calls it an absolutely beautiful knife, with blade thickness well proportioned to its length and balance that feels just about perfect in hand - the Damascus pattern is subtle but clearly visible even from a distance, and the contrasting wood tones on the handle give it a striking look. His one significant complaint was that the blade arrived less sharp than expected with an uneven grind, and he recommends that buyers add the CKTG finishing sharpening service at checkout rather than risk having to fix it themselves or ship the knife back for a proper water stone sharpening.
Care Instructions: SG2 is stainless and highly resistant to rust, but it is hard and somewhat chip-prone at this hardness level. Use wood or rubber cutting boards only. Avoid bones, frozen foods, and hard materials. Hand wash and dry after use - no dishwasher. Strop regularly between sharpenings and use quality water stones when a full sharpening is needed.
- Blacksmith: Kei Kobayashi
- Location: Seki City, Japan
- Construction: San Mai
- Edge Steel: SG2 Stainless (R2)
- Cladding: Stainless Damascus
- HRC: 63
- Handle: Rosewood Octagonal
- Ferrule: Maple
- Weight: 4.7 oz (134 g)
- Blade Length: 159 mm
- Total Length: 312 mm
- Spine Thickness at Base: 2 mm
- Blade Height: 49 mm
- Photos by Gustavo Bermudez
Reviews
1 review(s) WRITE A REVIEW (Reviews are subject to approval) Beautiful knife...butPosted By: Jack Reynolds
30 people found this review helpful
Absolutely beautiful knife ! Blade thickness to length is well proportioned and balance in hand is just about perfect. Damascus pattern on blade is subtle but very evident, even from a distance. Wooden handle finish is excellent and the contrasting woods give it a very nice look.
My only gripe is the blade is not very sharp out of the box and the grind is uneven. For this much money I expected a much more refined product.
In retrospect I should have purchased the Finishing Touch Up to be added before it shipped. Now I am faced with having to break out my Edge Pro and try to do it myself or ship back to Chef Knives to have it sharpened on water stones which is what it really needs.
If you buy a Kei Kobayashi knife I would strongly recommend having it touched up before it ships and save yourself the conundrum I find myself in.
Regards,
Jack Reynolds
Coffee City, Texas
30 people found this review helpful
Absolutely beautiful knife ! Blade thickness to length is well proportioned and balance in hand is just about perfect. Damascus pattern on blade is subtle but very evident, even from a distance. Wooden handle finish is excellent and the contrasting woods give it a very nice look.
My only gripe is the blade is not very sharp out of the box and the grind is uneven. For this much money I expected a much more refined product.
In retrospect I should have purchased the Finishing Touch Up to be added before it shipped. Now I am faced with having to break out my Edge Pro and try to do it myself or ship back to Chef Knives to have it sharpened on water stones which is what it really needs.
If you buy a Kei Kobayashi knife I would strongly recommend having it touched up before it ships and save yourself the conundrum I find myself in.
Regards,
Jack Reynolds
Coffee City, Texas
