Seki Kyuba NIJI Nakiri Veggie Knife 18cm
NIJI, meaning “rainbow” in Japanese, represents a unique fusion of artistry and performance. Its core of premium 12Cr18MoV steel is artfully sandwiched between 37 layers of stainless steel, brass, and copper, creating mesmerising patterns that make each knife truly unique. Like a rainbow appearing after rain, each blade reveals stunning, one-of-a-kind patterns that catch the light differently with every angle. While positioned just below our SHIN line in performance, NIJI offers an unmatched aesthetic experience that transforms your kitchen into a gallery. The layered construction doesn’t just create beautiful patterns – it contributes to excellent edge retention and incredible cutting performance. Perfect for those who view cooking as both a culinary and visual art form, and want their knives to be conversation pieces as well as high-performance tools.
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.
Not only for veggies: Nakiri
The Seki Kyuba NIJI Nakiri, with its specialised 18cm blade, is the vegetable preparation specialist of this stunning collection. The term “Nakiri” roughly translates to “leaf cutter”, aptly describing its primary function of efficient vegetable cutting.
Featuring a core of premium 12Cr18MoV steel artfully sandwiched between 37 layers of stainless steel, brass, and copper, the NIJI Nakiri creates captivating rainbow-like patterns that make each knife truly unique. Like a rainbow appearing after rain, the blade reveals stunning, one-of-a-kind patterns that catch the light differently with every angle.
With a Rockwell Hardness of 62-63 HRC, this Nakiri provides exceptional edge retention and durability whilst maintaining good chip resistance. The blade’s hammered finish not only adds to its visual splendour but also creates tiny air pockets that prevent vegetables from sticking to the blade during cutting.
The 18cm blade length and tall profile provide ample knuckle clearance and cutting surface, allowing for comfortable, repetitive chopping motions without fatigue. The straight edge is designed for efficient push-cutting through vegetables, and the square tip assists in scooping up chopped ingredients, streamlining your prep work.
Perfect for those who view cooking as both a culinary and visual art form, the NIJI Nakiri isn’t just a high-performance tool – it’s a conversation piece that transforms your kitchen into a gallery while delivering incredible cutting performance, particularly for vegetable preparation.
The Blade
The blade in the NIJI line is designed to make cooking more enjoyable as cutting through produce will become an effortless task. The blade is handcrafted by skilled Japanese blacksmiths in Seki, Gifu village in Japan with premium 12Cr18MoV steel core, artfully sandwiched between 37 layers of stainless steel, brass, and copper, creating mesmerising rainbow patterns that make each knife truly unique. The 12Cr18MoV steel is specifically chosen for its excellent balance of sharpness, durability and corrosion resistance.
The sharp blade is set in a premium-cut, waterproof stabilised maple burl wood available in Mediterranean Blue, Olive Green, or Natural Brown. The knife comes in a handcrafted, minimalist wooden box wrapped in a unique illustration strip.
12Cr18MoV steel offers an excellent balance between edge retention, durability, and razor sharpness. The blade has an impressive Rockwell Hardness rating (HRC) of 62-63, which provides exceptional edge retention while maintaining good chip resistance. This means the edge stays noticeably sharper for a longer time, reducing the frequency of sharpening required. The multi-layered construction doesn’t just create beautiful patterns – it contributes to excellent cutting performance and stability.
The blade’s hammered finish not only adds visual appeal but also helps reduce food sticking during use, enhancing efficiency in your food preparation. Like a rainbow appearing after rain, each blade reveals stunning, one-of-a-kind patterns that catch the light differently with every angle.
The Handle
The beautiful handle is made with extremely limited European maple burl dyed in an Natural Brown colour and feature a subtle copper ring under the oak bog wood kakumaki (collar of the handle). The wood has to be dried for two years before it undergoes the process of stabilisation. This ensures the wood is completely waterproof to avoid bacteria growth and is able to last generations.
The blade’s kakumaki (collar) is made with oak bog wood. A wood ranging from 2,500 to 5,000 years in age. Its age and living conditions give it a unique character and rich natural colour variation determined by its age. Giving you a knife with a rich history.
The stabilised premium-cut maple burl is shaped into an octagonal shaped ambidextrous handle to give you a firm grip on the knife. Not only are the handles aesthetically pleasing, they are also perfectly balanced, light and comfortable. This allows for maximum precision and more controlled movements during use.
No two handle colours or patterns are ever the same as the natural properties of each wood block are unique and will absorb the colour dye differently. This will give each knife a beautiful unique look and it can serve as an unforgettable gift.
Because Presentation Matters Just As Much
All our Seki Kyuba NIJI kitchen knives arrive in a handcrafted, minimalist European oak wooden box with a delicate waxed finish. The box is wrapped in our signature Oishya illustration strip featuring the Onna Bugeisha – legendary Japanese female warriors.
Inside, you’ll discover a beautifully designed certificate with two sides, each telling an important part of your knife’s story.
On one side, you’ll find a genuine 5 yen Japanese coin attached with an elegant note. There’s an ancient superstition that giving someone a knife is bad luck because it “cuts” the relationship between giver and recipient. The way around this? Attach a coin of symbolic value to the knife, which the recipient returns as payment.
We chose the 5 yen coin specifically because in Japanese, go en (五円) is a homophone with go-en (御縁), meaning “relationship,” “connection,” and “bond.” By exchanging this coin with the receiver, you’re not just avoiding bad luck – you’re actively strengthening your connection.
The reverse features your knife’s Certificate of Authenticity, documenting genuine Oishya craftsmanship from Japan’s legendary blade-making regions. Each certificate is hand-stamped with our traditional Japanese hanko seal – a mark of authenticity used in Japan for centuries.
The Blacksmith
The spirit of Samurai “Bushido” has never faded away from the history of Japan. The art of greatest sword smiths has been inherited through 780 years till now and it’s present in Japan’s Samurai Knife City, Seki in Gifu Prefecture, where Seki Kyuba knives are made.
High quality katana and kitchen blades are made with Japan’s traditional swordsmith technique and the latest technology, and are famed throughout the world today, especially high end kitchen knives.
Our partnership with one of the most talented and prominent blacksmiths of Japan resulted in Seki Kyuba kitchen knives, that are perfect for those that demand the highest quality. Being part of the Japanese knife community and owning a knife like this is a great honour and pleasure. We welcome you to Kyuba knives world.
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.
Impressive knife. The single-bevel grind takes some getting used to if you’re coming from Western knives, but once you adapt, the precision is unmatched. Great steel, beautiful finish.
A lovely set with excellent knives. The quality is apparent as soon as you pick them up. Each knife has great edge retention and the handles are comfortable. Delivery took a little longer than expected but the wait was worth it.
A lovely set with excellent knives. The quality is apparent as soon as you pick them up. Each knife has great edge retention and the handles are comfortable. Delivery took a little longer than expected but the wait was worth it.
Beautiful knife with an aggressive edge. The bunka shape was new to me but I’m a convert now. Works brilliantly for my style of cooking. The handle could be slightly longer for my preference, but overall a superb knife.
Beautiful knife with an aggressive edge. The bunka shape was new to me but I’m a convert now. Works brilliantly for my style of cooking. The handle could be slightly longer for my preference, but overall a superb knife.
Good quality sharpening stone that does what it promises. I use it to maintain my Japanese knives every few weeks. The grit is consistent and it doesn’t dish out too quickly. Solid purchase for the price.
This petty knife fills the gap perfectly between my gyuto and a paring knife. Great for fruits, small vegetables, and garnish work. The steel quality is noticeably better than anything in this price range.
This petty knife fills the gap perfectly between my gyuto and a paring knife. Great for fruits, small vegetables, and garnish work. The steel quality is noticeably better than anything in this price range.
This petty knife fills the gap perfectly between my gyuto and a paring knife. Great for fruits, small vegetables, and garnish work. The steel quality is noticeably better than anything in this price range.
This petty knife fills the gap perfectly between my gyuto and a paring knife. Great for fruits, small vegetables, and garnish work. The steel quality is noticeably better than anything in this price range.
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The rest of the line.
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