Best Japanese Kitchen Knives of 2024: Five Picks Worth Knowing About

Introduction

As 2024 wrapped up, we looked back at the Japanese knives that stood out most during the year. The list mixes trusted classics with fresh releases: an easy-care Ginsan gift knife, a new Sakai sharpening team’s wave-inspired line, a Japan-Canada collaboration, a hand-forged kurouchi workhorse, and a bold new steel from Ryusen. Here are the five picks, in order.

Number 5: Haruyuki Kokuto Ginsan

The Haruyuki Kokuto Ginsan earns its spot by being genuinely easy to recommend. It is made from Ginsan stainless steel, which behaves remarkably close to carbon steel in terms of edge character while staying stainless and low maintenance. The knife is solid, nice and light, and looks fantastic.

That combination makes it a near-perfect gift knife, whether for the holidays or just because. It suits someone in your life who is not deeply into knives, and it is forgiving enough for anyone keeping a knife in a cabin or using it without much fuss. The price point is on target, and it is one of those knives that practically sells itself on merit.

Number 4: Hado Shiosai SG2

Hado is a team of five in Sakai: three craftsmen focused mainly on sharpening, supported by two more behind the scenes. Rather than forging their own blades, they source blank SG2 blades and bring them to life with their own finishing, which is an unusual approach for Sakai. Because the supply of blanks is limited, quantities of the line stay constrained.

The results are impressive: a very nice tall bevel, a super thin edge, polished spine and choil, and a hammered pattern the team calls Shiosai, which means the sound of waves. Paired with the blue handle, the whole knife evokes the beach, with waves rolling onto sand. There is also a lovely personal touch: each knife ships with a handwritten note from the makers.

Number 3: Hazaki Classic AUS10

The Hazaki Classic is one of the more interesting collaborations we saw this year. The blade is made in Seki, Japan, a well-known center of kitchen knife making, and arrives as a nicely made blank with a thin profile, a beautiful simple finish, and a thin edge in AUS10 stainless steel. The final magic happens in Montreal, Quebec, where a beautiful beechwood handle is fitted, a wood that conveniently also grows in Canada.

The team goes the extra mile by improving the product with every batch, including a welded bolster that keeps water from getting inside. Beyond the chef knives, the line covers santoku, petty, bread, and steak knives, plus a magnetic knife block, making it an easy way to outfit a home kitchen. We tested samples thoroughly at home and were impressed with the quality.

Number 2: Masashi Kurokage 240

The Masashi Kurokage 240 takes the number two spot, held back only by some excellent new releases this year. Hand-forged by Masashi Yamamoto, it is a knife with real personality. The steel is considered semi-stainless, but the way Masashi polishes it makes it behave almost like stainless steel, and the kurouchi finish, the forge scale left on the blade, looks striking. The shinogi line is dead straight and the blade height is generous, which gives big-handed users real knuckle clearance over the cutting board.

Fit and finish are outstanding. Masashi even visited for a special event, forging and fully finishing a letter opener from raw steel in about four hours, then wrapping the handle himself. When asked about the limits of his craft, his answer was simple: there is no end to it, there is always room to improve.

Number 1: Ryusen Guren Hiru SPG Strix

The top pick is the Ryusen Guren Hiru, with Guren meaning crimson, a color carried through the red handle, and Hiru meaning dragon. The sweeping spine, flame-like flare near the blade, tapered handle, and crisp finish make this a knife your eye keeps wandering over. It is beautiful, but it is also a genuine technical milestone for the brand.

This line uses SPG Strix, a new powder stainless steel from Takefu Special Steel, related to SG2. SPG Strix is said to have a forge effect: hammering the steel refines its grain structure, so it performs better after forging. A visit to the Ryusen factory revealed a fascinating hybrid operation, combining high-tech machinery with hands-on blacksmith forging, including an intensive repeated-hammering technique to break down the steel grains. It is a rare case where a new steel genuinely generated excitement, and several makers are already working with it.

Honorable Mentions

Two more releases deserve mention. First, the Sasquatch knives: a passion project built around a rough sketch of a wild, multifunctional everyday knife, with different makers offering their own interpretations, including versions from Masashi andShibata, with more expected. Second, a flexible boning knife made in interior British Columbia, Canada. The flex is well judged: supple enough to follow contours, but with enough control that the tip goes exactly where you want it, and it will not flop or snap. There is also a stiffer version and a larger butcher knife in stainless steel, all with great fit and finish.

Conclusion

Each of these five knives earns its place for a different reason: the Haruyuki Kokuto Ginsan for effortless gifting, the Hado Shiosai for its craftsmanship and story, the Hazaki Classic for smart collaboration and value, the Masashi Kurokage 240 for outstanding forging and finish, and the Ryusen Guren Hiru for bringing genuinely new steel to the table. Whichever fits your kitchen and budget, any of them would be a purchase you can feel good about.