“FORLOVERS” (14% off for Valentines day) promo activated when adding to basket • Shop Online • London Showroom • HQ Showroom

Masashi Kobo↓
  1. Masashi Kobo Polished SLD Knife Range Gyuto
  2. Masashi Kobo Polished SLD Knife Range Nakiri
  3. Masashi Kobo Polished SLD Knife Range Petty
  4. Masashi Kobo Polished SLD Knife Range Kamagata
  1. Masashi Kobo Polished SLD Knife Range Gyuto
  2. Masashi Kobo Polished SLD Knife Range Nakiri
  3. Masashi Kobo Polished SLD Knife Range Petty
  4. Masashi Kobo Polished SLD Knife Range Kamagata

Masashi Kobo Polished SLD Knife Range
Kitchen Knife

More Information

Extraordinarily beautiful and remarkably sophisticated kitchen knives from this young blacksmith in Sanjo City, Niigata. Polished SLD steel blades, charred chestnut handles, resin ferrules. SLD steel from Hitachi benefits from a high carbon content that holds its edge well, is tough, easy to sharpen and maintain, and with a 12% chromium content is very nearly stainless. It’s laminated to an outer cladding of SUS stainless steel, polished to a mirror finish.

Gyuto is the classic chef’s knife - although Masashi makes his a tad deeper than some, more like a Santoku. Use Nakiri for veg, the deeper bladed Kamagata as a great smaller sized knife - perfect if you’re uncomfortable with larger blades - and the Petty for paring and fine work.

See Masashi at work in the video clip (scroll down), working on the tang of a knife.

More about Masashi

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Masashi Yamamoto trained under his uncle, Yoshida san at Yoshikane, and produces knives of stunning quality - primarily in his signature SLD steel, a hard wearing, very-nearly-stainless-steel. In 2018 Masashi moved his forge to a new factory in Sanjo (in Niigata Prefecture) and now has two apprentices working with him.

We think he looks a little like Christopher Walken, and he claims to be a children’s ski instructor - something we don’t doubt.

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Delivering to US (Paying in USD) Edit

Gyuto 180, Nakiri, Kamagata & Petty“FORLOVERS” (14% off for Valentines day). 14% discount applied when added to basketAdd to Wishlist / Save for later
Gyuto 180mm“FORLOVERS” (14% off for Valentines day). 14% discount applied when added to basketAdd to Wishlist / Save for later
Gyuto 210mm“FORLOVERS” (14% off for Valentines day). 14% discount applied when added to basketAdd to Wishlist / Save for later
Kamagata“FORLOVERS” (14% off for Valentines day). 14% discount applied when added to basketAdd to Wishlist / Save for later
Nakiri“FORLOVERS” (14% off for Valentines day). 14% discount applied when added to basketAdd to Wishlist / Save for later
Petty“FORLOVERS” (14% off for Valentines day). 14% discount applied when added to basketAdd to Wishlist / Save for later

Please note: By law, we are not permitted to sell a knife or blade to any person under the age of 18. By placing an order for one of these items you are declaring that you are 18 years of age or over. These items must be used responsibly and appropriately.

Masashi Kobo Polished SLD Knife • Gyuto 180mm
  • 145g
  • 313 x 47mm
  • 180mm blades
  • SLD Stainless Steel
  • Charred Chestnut handles
  • Made in Japan
  • In Stock - Available to dispatch worldwide, contact us for showroom stock availability
Masashi Kobo Polished SLD Knife • Gyuto 210mm
  • 179g
  • 347 x 50mm
  • 210mm blades
  • SLD Stainless Steel
  • Charred Chestnut handles
  • Made in Sanjo, Japan
  • In Stock - Available to dispatch worldwide, contact us for showroom stock availability
Masashi Kobo Polished SLD Knife • Kamagata
  • 74g
  • 247 x 34mm
  • 121mm blades
  • SLD Stainless Steel
  • Charred Chestnut handles
  • Made in Japan
  • In Stock - Available to dispatch worldwide, contact us for showroom stock availability
Masashi Kobo Polished SLD Knife • Nakiri
  • 162g
  • 312 x 53mm
  • 165mm blades
  • SLD Stainless Steel
  • Charred Chestnut handles
  • Made in Japan
  • In Stock - Available to dispatch worldwide, contact us for showroom stock availability
Masashi Kobo Polished SLD Knife • Petty
  • 58g
  • 257 x 24mm
  • 122mm blades
  • SLD Stainless Steel
  • Charred Chestnut handles
  • Made in Japan
  • In Stock - Available to dispatch worldwide, contact us for showroom stock availability
Delivery

UK: (excluding Tripod Ladders)

  • Free delivery for orders over £100*
  • £4.00: Royal Mail tracked service - delivered by the postie, can be left in safe place, limited tracking info. Approx 2-5 working days.
  • £7.50: DHL, FedEx, or UPS tracked service typically delivered next working day by 6pm (excluding Sat/Sun and UK Bank Holidays) for orders received before 12pm GMT Mon–Fri (excluding UK Bank Holidays).

Global: (excluding Tripod Ladders)

  • Free delivery for orders over £/$/€100*
  • Price depends on location - adjust the COUNTRY tab in your basket to see the price.
  • We use DHL, FedEx, or UPS, and we’ll email you the tracking info.

*Customs fees may apply and are estimated during checkout. Surcharges may apply to some larger or heavier items to some areas.
* Please note Niwaki are not responsible for any import duty, taxes or fees incurred and these will be will be collected by our courier during customs clearance — For EU countries, when possible DHL will provide an estimate on the order confirmation page.

Knife Care

For better or worse, Western knives are often seen as general purpose kitchen tools, used for cutting, prizing, levering and all sorts of other jobs around the kitchen (and sometimes beyond).

Japanese knives should not be viewed this way and it may require a change of mindset to get the best out of your knife and ensure it delivers many years of service.

Cared for correctly, this ought to be the case: the quality of the craftsmanship and the ease with which they can be kept incredibly sharp are two of the main reasons to make the switch to Japanese steel, but that comes at a price: the steel –especially steel with high carbon content - may be more brittle than you are used to and they are not for the heavy-handed or the careless. They are unforgiving tools and you may not get an opportunity to make the same mistake twice.

A good rule of thumb is to show them the same respect you show your poshest wine glasses, but here are some other pointers.

Commons mistakes to avoid:

  • Leaving wooden handled knives to soak in water.
  • Washing knives in the dishwasher.
  • Not storing them carefully: store them individually, not jumbled up with other cutlery.
  • Cutting into bone. If you’re not sure whether there’s bone, or you know there to be bone present, go very slowly and carefully, or consider using a different knife.
  • Trying to cut frozen foods.
  • Cutting down too hard on to the wrong sort of surface, for example kitchen worktops.

Don’t be put off. They are great to use and easy to care for. To get the best from your knives:

  • Wash them by hand and dry thoroughly afterwards.
  • Wipe over with Camellia Oil if not using regularly.
  • Sharpen every two weeks or so of regular use.
  • Use the Niwaki Combination Stone for everyday sharpening.
  • Take care with harder foods, such as the skin of a pumpkin or a squash.
Masashi Kobo Polished SLD Knife Range
Essentials