Seki Kyuba NIJI Santoku Chef’s 18cm
The 18cm Santoku is NIJI’s everyday all-rounder — “three virtues” means it slices, dices and minces without complaint. A gently curved belly suits a light rocking cut, so it’s an easy step across from a Western chef’s knife. The 12Cr18MoV core is wrapped in 37 layers of stainless steel, brass and copper, a rainbow Damascus pattern that’s different on every blade. 62–63 HRC, hammered face to shed food.
Lifetime warranty
Every knife we have ever made, covered for life.
Free UK delivery
Included on every order over £90.
100-day returns
Use it for three months. Send it back if it isn’t right.
Hand-finished box
Hanko-stamped certificate, 5 yen coin tucked alongside.
Why this knife
The blade, and the thinking behind it.
All rounder: Santoku
“Santoku” means “three virtues” — slicing, dicing and mincing — and the NIJI Santoku’s 18cm blade does all three well. It sits between a small knife’s agility and a full chef’s knife’s reach, with a gently curved belly for a light rocking motion. If you’re moving from Western knives to Japanese ones, this is an easy first step.
The Blade
The blade is a 12Cr18MoV core in 37 layers of stainless steel, brass and copper, so each knife carries its own rainbow-toned Damascus pattern. Hand-forged in Seki, Gifu, the steel is chosen for its balance of sharpness, durability and corrosion resistance. At 62–63 HRC it takes and holds a fine edge with good chip resistance, and the hammered face reduces food sticking as you work.
The blade is set in a premium-cut, waterproof stabilised maple burl handle, available in Mediterranean Blue, Olive Green or Natural Brown.
The blade
Specifications.
The hands that make it
Seki. Seven hundred years of blade-making.
Seki, in Gifu, has been forging blades since the fourteenth century — first samurai swords, then kitchen knives. The workshop we work with forges five of our six lines.
The handle is finished in Małopolska, Poland, by craftsmen who shape every handle by hand: a stabilised maple burl body and a bog oak ferrule — the kakumaki. The blade and handle meet at a single hand-fitted copper ring, set with a soft tap of a wooden mallet, in an octagonal profile.
Care, briefly
Three habits, and it outlasts you.
01.
Hand wash, dry immediately.
Never the dishwasher. Sixty seconds at the sink, then a soft towel. Water on hard Japanese steel is the only thing that rusts it.
02.
Wood boards only.
Glass, stone and marble are harder than the steel and dull the edge in a week. End-grain hardwood is the right choice — hinoki cypress if you can find it.
03.
Sharpen on a stone.
Never a honing rod — the steel is too hard, it chips the edge. A 1000/6000 whetstone every three or four months keeps it keen.
What you receive
In the box.
- The knife, sharpened, oiled, wrapped in cloth.
- A hand-finished box for the knife.
- A Certificate of Authenticity, hand-stamped with the maker’s hanko, naming the smith and certifying the blade.
- A 5 yen coin tucked alongside. “Go en” — the Japanese for five yen — is the homophone for luck, connection and bond. Returning the coin to the giver turns the gift-knife into a symbolic purchase, neutralising the old superstition that a knife as a gift cuts the bond between giver and receiver.
- A care card with the sixty-second wash routine and a link to Knife School.
- Your lifetime warranty, registered to you automatically when the order ships.
Frequently asked.
Is it dishwasher safe?
How often will I need to sharpen it?
Can I use it to cut meat?
How long does shipping take?
What if it isn't right for my kitchen?
From the people who cook with it
Reviews.
Purchased as a gift for my wife who cooks daily. She absolutely loves it. The size is ideal for smaller hands and the blade is incredibly sharp. Packaging and presentation were excellent — felt like opening something truly special.
This santoku has become my go-to knife for everything. The flat profile is perfect for chopping vegetables and the tip is precise enough for detail work. Beautifully crafted and a joy to use every day.
Not sure this is the one?
Take two minutes.
Six questions about the way you actually cook. We’ll point you to the knife that fits.