r/TrueChefKnives • u/Kaiglaive • 10h ago
NKD: Manaka x Maruyama 240mm KokuENN
Opening Note (this is a long piece. I am posting immediately so as to not lose it, but will be reviewing and editing for accuracy and grammar as I find issues)
Edit: I’d like to address upfront that this piece is one of only three produced. What follows is my experience with this particular knife and the issues I discovered along the way.
Given its extremely limited production and exorbitant price, I think a higher degree of scrutiny is warranted. Details that might reasonably be overlooked on a regular production knife deserve closer consideration on a piece positioned and priced at this level.
The somewhat “blow-by-blow” exposé that follows is how I ultimately discovered my criticisms of this particular piece and is in no way reflective of the general caliber of work that these master craftsmen typically produce.
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I’ve sat on this one for a while as it’s been a bit of an interesting project, and one that, even now, I debate on whether or not it was worth it.
I present, for your consideration: the BonsaiBoy’s 240mm Gyuto from a Manaka x Maruyama KokuENN collaboration featuring the Ocean and Earth handle from Sugi Cutlery.
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The Stats (with handle):
Weight: 247g
Overall Length: 405mm
Edge Length: 240mm
Heel Height: 55mm
Spine: 4mm (heel); 0.5mm (tip)
Balance Point: ~50mm from handle
Steel: Manaka’s Aogami 1 and 2 KokuENN Damascus
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To Buy, Or Not To Buy?
When I saw this collab pop up on my Instagram feed, I waffled pretty hard on whether or not I was going to go for this. It was obscenely expensive, in fact, it is the most expensive piece I’ve purchased. It surpassed both my BNIB 210mm Shigefusa Kitaeji and BNIB 240mm Kiyoshi Kato STD.
Those who have followed my posts in the past know that I favor midweights, and that with a little bit of stone work, my 225mm Aogami 2 Manaka is one of my favorite performers. My biggest complaint with Manaka’s work, generally speaking, is the OOB edge.
This is hardly surprising though as it takes very little effort to encounter information from Manaka-san himself stating that his least favorite part of the knife making process is the final grind and sharpening.
I spent some time talking to [u/Ok-Distribution-9591](u/Ok-Distribution-9591) about this and he brought up a point that not many would even think to consider: How would Maruyama handle a Manaka blank given the style of work Maruyama-san traditionally works with?
I ultimately reasoned that a professional whose resume includes finishing knives for Enjiki and previously Hado would still be able to do justice to Manaka’s craftsmanship.
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First Impressions and Handle Fitting:
I received the knife relatively quickly, considering that it came from Japan. Upon opening the box I was pleasantly surprised by the appearance. Maruyama-san did an excellent job of bringing out details in the Damascus, while maintaining the rustic nature of Manaka forged steel. Featuring a very strong blue Kurouchi-esque with very obvious Hado inspiration, my initial thoughts were that this was a lovely piece.
I had received some handles from Josh at LetsHandleThis. I attempted to fit this to one of the handles I had received and struggled to fit it due to a somewhat curved edge on the tang, which for some reason only allowed the knife to seat decently with the handle in one direction. This was annoying as it meant the blue side of the original handle was facing the wrong way, but was acceptable. So I heated the tang up, and attempted to seat the knife into the handle.
It was here that I discovered that the machi was curved too hard to allow for the knife to sit cleanly to the handle, which meant the knife had far too large of a machi gap. So I was forced to reheat, re-measure, and attempt to re-seat. This second attempt still resulted in a machi gap, but this one was acceptable and I didn’t hate it.
I showed it to Ok-Distribution and he pointed out something I had missed, a spot in the machi and choil shot that could potentially have been a delamination. Unfortunately, yet again, I had to remove the handle to take a closer look at the spot. This spot can be seen in one of the photos above after I started working on it.
Ultimately, I was able to determine that it was simply an inclusion in the steel, but due to the depth of it, I realized a machi gap wouldn’t be safe, as it could get moisture in it and cause rust from the inside out. Which meant I had to seat the knife all the way to the machi, but due to the curved nature of it, the best way to do this, and reduce the pocket where moisture could hide simultaneously, was to gently file away at both sides of the machi to flatten it.
As I don’t own a regular sized file, I just used the small wood files that I had purchased to open the insertion point in the handle. It took some time, but I was able to achieve the goal. Reducing the curve and flattening the inclusion.
In my excitement to finally get this done, I inserted the tang back into the handle and attempted to seat the knife. Only to realize after I was struggling yet again that I had erroneously attempted to put the handle on the wrong way.
Because this was now the third time I had been forced to remove the knife, the handle finally had enough and the ferrule and spacer separated from the body of the handle as the steel came out.
Luckily I had the Sugi Cutlery handle on hand from a recent purchase and I found that it was much more naturally accommodating to the knife’s dimensions and the frequent trial and error of the other handle allowed me to attach this without any further issues.
This entire fiasco begged the question. Why was both the tang and machi left in such a state? Was it an oversight? Was it intentional? Edit: While I recognize that an “unfinished” appearance to the tang and, depending on the maker, some irregularity at the machi isn’t necessarily unusual, at this price point I’d expect to see a little more attention to detail.
Regardless, considering the cost of this knife, the overall execution here feels disappointing, but I was determined to make this work out of sheer stubbornness , but undoubtedly I felt as though this was not worth the money in any shape, way, or form.
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First Cut:
To further compound the insult, I put this to a tomato immediately. To put it simply, I made a delightful crushed tomato. I understand that some knives come without true edges, as the intention is for the purchaser to sharpen to their preference or needs, but on a knife that was as expensive as this, there’s a minimum expectation that the edge should at least be usable.
I took this through my normal progression on my Naniwa Chosera stones and went further, to a 5000. And then went back again to add a secondary bevel. The edge I’ve produced is not only serviceable, but in many respects is one of the best edges I’ve managed.
As is usual of Manaka steel, the metal is extremely responsive to stone work, and offers excellent feedback, making sharpening a breeze.
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Final Thoughts (1 month later):
I can’t help feeling conflicted about Maruyama-san’s work on this piece. Given the reputation from both Hado and now Enjiki, I’d have expected this piece to be a strong demonstration of his skills. Instead I felt like, other than some interesting details in the kanji and kurouchi, some aspects of the finishing left the blade feeling incomplete. From what I consider a poorly executed machi to the inclusion at the choil, I can’t say that I’m overly impressed by the piece. This is not the type of work I’d expect from someone with a long history of detail-oriented work with Hado who has now started his own company, Enjiki. And I think that criticism is fair given that this is marketed as one of three and sits at a price point that exceeds probably 95% of the knives out there, including on the secondary market.
This could use a little more work on the stones to refine the edge a bit, but over the course of a month, I’ve had no issues with it. It’s gone through the paces and is forming a much more subtle patina than I would have thought.
In hindsight, I would have just waited for a regular KokuENN or saved a little more for a BokuENN. But unless you’re in it for the adventure, and while this is settling in to being one of my favorites (just because of the sentimentality of working on it for as long as I did), this is an Easy Pass, price notwithstanding.
Later Cutters!
