About us

Where Nijiwa begins

Nijiwa begins with a simple thought about cooking at home. Most kitchens have a drawer full of knives, yet most of us reach for the same one every evening. Too often it is the wrong one: a blade that has gone dull, that squashes a tomato instead of slicing it, and that turns chopping an onion into a chore. Cooking is one of the few things we do with our hands every single day, and the tool we use for it deserves more thought than that.

We started Nijiwa to offer the opposite of that drawer. Not more knives, but better ones. A small number of knives that feel right in the hand, stay sharp, and make the everyday work of cooking calmer and more enjoyable. Our line in the footer says it best: some tools you use, others you look forward to picking up.

What we do

Nijiwa is an independent online shop for Japanese kitchen knives. We design our range around how people really cook at home, describe every knife plainly and accurately, and deliver it to your door in the United Kingdom.

We keep the range deliberately short. Every knife has to earn its place by doing a clear job better than anything else in your kitchen. That makes choosing easier for you, and it lets us know each knife inside out, so we can answer your questions properly when you write to us.

Four shapes, each with a job

Japanese kitchens developed specialised blade shapes over a long time, and four of them cover almost everything a home cook needs. These are the four we offer.

If you only want one knife, start with the santoku. If you cook mostly with vegetables, the nakiri. If you often cook for more than two, the gyuto. And the petty is the second knife that ends up living on the worktop.

Materials and craft

Every Nijiwa knife is crafted in Japan. The blade is made of 67 layers of Damascus steel around a hard 10Cr15CoMoV core, hardened to 60-62 HRC. The hard core is what holds a fine edge for months; the layered steel around it gives the blade its pattern and protects the core.

The handles are olive wood with a full tang, which means the steel runs through the whole length of the handle for balance and strength. All four knives are symmetrical, so they work for right and left handed cooks.

We list the real dimensions and materials of each knife on its product page. What you read there is what arrives at your door.

How we think about a good knife

A good knife is not about having the most features. It is about balance, a thin and hard edge, and a handle you stop noticing after a minute. It should feel light and steady on the board, and it should still be sharp months later.

A good knife also needs a little care, and we think that is part of the pleasure. Wash it by hand, dry it straight away, use a wooden or plastic board, and give it a few minutes on a whetstone once or twice a year. Looked after like this, a Nijiwa knife stays with you for a very long time.

Our look follows the same idea: dark, quiet colours, natural wood and simple photographs that show each knife as it is. Nothing should distract from the tool itself.

Sharp tools, sold responsibly

Our knives are very sharp, and we take that seriously. Knives are age-restricted products, so we only sell to adults aged 18 or over and never to children or anyone under 18. By placing an order you confirm that you are 18 or over. We cancel and refund any order where we believe the buyer is under 18.

We also ask everyone to keep knives out of reach of children, to store them in a knife block, on a magnetic strip or in a blade guard, and to use them only for preparing food.

Where we are going

Our aim is simple: to be the place people in the United Kingdom think of when they want their first good Japanese kitchen knife, and later their second. We will keep the range short and only add a shape when it truly earns a place in a home kitchen.

Along the way we want to share what we know about choosing, using and caring for Japanese knives, so that every knife we send out is used well and for many years.

Who is behind Nijiwa

Nijiwa is a small business based in France that serves customers across the United Kingdom. When you write to us, a real person reads your message and answers it, usually within one working day.