Knifewear's Top 5 Nakiri Knives of 2026

This blade from Hazaki is quite possibly the very best nakiri to get started with, especially if you're new to the world of Japanese kitchen knives. Hazaki makes reliable, affordable blades in Seki, paired with gorgeous wooden handles crafted in Canada. The Pro is a sturdy option, a little more rugged than your average handmade knife, yet mind-blowingly thanks to VG10 stainless steel.

Fujimoto knives are the best of everything: high-performance, low maintenance, hand made and affordable! These blades are forged by a team of masters, each with a specialized skill ranging from forging, to sharpening, to handling and inspecting the knives. While this keeps costs down, it also ensures that the knives are super-consistent and that each craftsman is incredibly proficient in his part of the job.

As a bonus, the high-carbon steel blade is clad in stainless steel! While the edge itself can rust, the rest of the knife is super easy to maintain so one only has to ensure that the very edge is kept dry, rather than the whole blade.

Wakui-san is killing it lately! He was born into a family of crowbar makers, but switched to kitchen knives since hand-crafted crowbars aren't in demand lately, and boy am I glad he did. His knives cut like CRAZY, and they're gorgeous to boot. Absolutely collector's items.

He forges with Shirogami #2 carbon steel. It can be a pain, because it rusts easily, but care for it properly, and it'll reward you with one of the longest-lasting razor-sharp edges ever. Worth the work, if you ask me!

Speaking of stunning knives.... Masashi Yamamoto isn't one of the oldest blacksmiths, but he is one of the smartest, and by far most talented. Masashi-san is incredibly cerebral in his approach to knife making, constantly experimenting and finding ways to make his blades perform better. In this case, the result is this incredible Kuroshu nakiri. As a result of his insane talent and genius, Masashi-san is able to get the SLD steel in this knife much harder than it usually gets, meaning it performs better than most Japanese knives. Add to that a damascus blade with that burned kurouchi look and a designer handle, and you've got yourself a recipe to take my money.

With over 350 years in blade making and decades of experience manufacturing construction materials, Nigara Hamono know their steel! Never one to shy away from a challenge, they're always trying the hot new thing; namely, VG XEOS stainless steel!

The latest in the VG steel series, XEOS offers incredible resistance to rust (more so than other stainless steels) and extraordinary edge retention. Sounds like a powerhouse to me!