Specs
- Maker: Naoki Mazaki
- Origin: Sanjo, Japan
- Profile: Gyuto
- Steel: Shirogami #2 / White #2 with soft iron cladding
- Blade length: 247 mm
- Blade height at heel: 55 mm
- Weight: 201 g
- Spine: 4.49 mm at heel / 1.55 mm mid-blade / 0.55 mm near the tip
- Finish: Migaki / Kasumi
- Handle: Blond ebony
I have only used this Naoki Mazaki W2 Gyuto 240 for two days so far, so this is very much a first impression rather than a detailed performance review. It will need considerably more board time before I can properly judge its cutting performance in detail.
First of all, a big thank you to u/Independent_Spend386, who kindly sold me this Mazaki here on Reddit. A highly recommended seller â keep an eye out for their future listings. Absolutely brilliant!
This is my second Mazaki, as I already own one of his nakiris. Along with Wakui, Mazaki is the only maker represented twice in my collectionâwhich probably says quite a lot about how much I appreciate his work.
I deliberately went for the migaki version because I wanted the beautiful kanji to stand out properly. Mazakiâs kurouchi finish looks absolutely legendary and I love its rustic appearance, but the cleaner migaki finish was the right choice for me on this one.
This is a Sanjo-made gyuto in Shirogami #2 / White #2 with soft iron cladding. Its blade length is 247 mm, blade height at the heel is 55 mm, and it weighs 201 g. It has a migaki/kasumi finish and a blond ebony handle. The measured numbers are specific to this knife; handmade Mazakis can vary noticeably from one example to another. White #2 with soft-iron cladding is Mazakiâs characteristic construction for this line.
The fit and finish are excellent. The spine and choil are very well rounded and comfortable, with no sharp edges. The transition into the handle is clean, and the blond ebony handle both looks beautiful and feels great in hand. Overall, it feels carefully finished rather than rough around the edges; the pictures should give a good impression of that.
Geometry-wise, it has the typical Sanjo taper, but this appears to be a relatively lean Mazaki. Spine measurements are 4.49 mm at the heel, 1.55 mm in the middle, and only 0.55 mm near the front. It gets almost criminally thin toward the tip. That makes it look like an excellent precision cutter, but the very thin tip deserves a bit of extra care.
The W2 core and soft iron cladding are very reactive. The patina visible in the photos started forming after cutting just one onion, so it is definitely a knife that will quickly show its use.
Despite weighing 201 g, it feels rather light and agile in handâespecially after using a JNS x Wakui V2 240. The 55 mm blade height provides plenty of knuckle clearance. Based on these first two days, it seems much more at home with push cuts and chopping than with rock chopping, but I will reserve a final judgment on performance until it has seen more use.
I have clearly developed a soft spot for Sanjo knives. I like that the production often feels more transparent: you generally know who forged and ground the blade, so there is a stronger connection to the people behind the knife. Besides Mazaki, I now have knives by Masashi, Munetoshi, Wakui, Watanabe Pro and Yoshikane. There are still a few makers missing, but no need to rush that part.
Thank's for reading.
