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Seki Kyuba · Knife line
NIJI
A 12Cr18MoV core wrapped in 37 layers of stainless steel, brass and copper, forged and ground until the pattern shows. Five knives, forged in Seki. The line for the person who will look at the blade as often as they use it: the brass and copper show as warm lines in the pattern.
Five knives
Choose your NIJI.
Same steel and the same handle across the line. The difference is the shape, and what it does best.
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Side by side
The two sets
Each set pairs a main knife with the Nakiri and the Petty. Choose the one whose main knife suits how you cook.
The blade · Forged in Seki, Japan
Steel, brass and copper.
NIJI means rainbow in Japanese. The core is 12Cr18MoV, wrapped in 37 folded layers of stainless steel, brass and copper. Each metal catches the light differently, so the surface shifts in colour as you turn the blade.
The folding makes every pattern slightly different, so no two NIJI blades are identical. Each blade carries the line name, engraved by hand.
The handle
Made in Poland, for a Japanese blade.
Every Oishya knife shares the same handle. The body is stabilised maple burl, waterproof and premium-cut, so every handle carries its own grain. The ferrule (kakumaki) is bog oak around 2,500 years old, joined to the burl by a hand-fitted copper ring.
The profile is octagonal and symmetrical, so it sits firmly in either a left or a right hand.
The hands that make it
Seki. Nearly eight hundred years of blade-making.
Seki, in Gifu, has forged blades since the thirteenth century, first swords, then kitchen knives. The workshop we work with there forges five of our six lines.
Meet our craftsmenSpecifications
What’s inside every NIJI knife.
Blade
| Cutting core | 12Cr18MoV |
|---|---|
| Outer layers | 37 layers: stainless, brass, copper |
| Finish | Shot-blasted + rainbow Damascus |
| Hardness | HRC 60–61 |
| Bevel | Double, for either hand |
| Forged in | Seki, Japan |
Handle
| Body | Stabilised maple burl, waterproof |
|---|---|
| Ferrule (kakumaki) | Bog oak, around 2,500 years old |
| Ring | Hand-fitted copper |
| Profile | Octagonal, for left or right hand |
| Made and mounted in | Poland |
| Colours | Mediterranean Blue, Natural Brown, Olive Green |
Care. Hand wash and dry straight away. Use a wooden cutting board. Sharpen on a 1000/6000 whetstone three or four times a year. The full method is in Knife School.
The six lines
How NIJI compares.
Every line shares the same handle. What changes is the steel, the layers and the finish.
| Line | Steel | Layers | Hardness | Finish | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Sakai Kyuba KYU | AUS10 | 46 | HRC 62 | Hammered Damascus | View KYU | |
 Seki Kyuba KATA | VG10 | 3 | HRC 60–61 | Hammered | View KATA | |
 Seki Kyuba RYU | VG10 | 33 | HRC 60–61 | Damascus | View RYU | |
 Seki Kyuba NIJIThis line | 12Cr18MoV | 37, with brass and copper | HRC 60–61 | Shot-blasted rainbow Damascus | ||
 Seki Kyuba SHIN | SG2 (R2) | 31 | HRC 62–63 | Damascus | View SHIN | |
 Seki Kyuba PAN | 1K6 | Single steel | HRC 56–57 | Serrated bread knife | View PAN |
Still deciding?
Answer a few questions and we’ll suggest a knife and a line.