Nojiyama Marunaka Blue #2 Review

[Infrared]

Complete tier list and this knife's ranking can be seen here: Japanese Knife Tier List

Kind of surprising to see such a large, high performing knife like this going for under $200. The way it just drops through onions is quite impressive. One of my favorite blue #2.

Thoughts and Observations

• The front (tip?) could be a little thinner. I can feel it hesitating every now and then, but nothing too serious.
• One of the larger handles I've seen on a knife.
• Very easy to sharpen and probably the most aggressive blue #2 steel I've used.
• Steel kind of reminds me of Kuwabara white #2.
• Seems pretty stain resistant. Some patina on the right side, but not much else.
• Average food release.

Measurements
Length: 230mm (Nakiri)
Height: 56.8mm
Spine: 4.6mm/2.3mm/2mm
Weight: 239g

Cutting Performance
Potatoes: A
Onions: A+
Carrots: A-

Steel
Edge retention: 3+ weeks (Daily home use, large variety of vegetables)
Toughness: No issues (I'm heavy-handed)
Ease of sharpening: S
Edge taking: S
Initial sharpness: A+

Geometry

• Concave hira.
• Subtle, convex kireha.

 

[Infrared]

 

[Zilberwong]

Thank you for writing this up and providing the images and videos. I Have been looking at this one on Knife Japan and given the frustratingly vague semi-profile choil shots provided for every single knife on the site it's very hard to understand the edge profiles of all the knives there. I never would have guessed this is essentially a very slim single bevel! How interesting! This is the choil shot on the site...again...frustrating. Or maybe this is just a different knife? https://knifejapan.com/nojiyama-marunaka-kurouchi-nakiri-240mm-stainless-tang/? Hard to believe that maker would have two different Long Nakiris though Given the concave Hira does it steer at all or is it too thin for that to be of consequence?

 

[Zilberwong]

Looking closer at the listing it does say its a double bevel so now I am confused to be sure.

 

[refcast]

One thing about choil shots for kurouchi knives is ... They can be forged differently or warped further down in the blade. So it's not the most 100% indicative of stuff. Its in the wabi sabi sort of thing. Ideally it would be representative, but idk different standards

@Zilberwong

 

[Zilberwong]

One thing about choil shots for kurouchi knives is ... They can be forged differently or warped further down in the blade. So it's not the most 100% indicative of stuff. Its in the wabi sabi sort of thing. Ideally it would be representative, but idk different standards

@Zilberwong

I hear ya. However, more information (a clear choil shot) is often better than less

 

[Zilberwong]

Like the shot above with the concave Hira, that's a big departure when youre expecting a double bevel. In this case it kinda makes the knife MORE appealing to me but I am still uncertain if I am comparing apples to apples. (Is it even the same knife)

 

[Zilberwong]

Perhaps that left side being that way on the sample above is just a fluke and not necessarily intended?

 

[M1k3]

Mine is a double bevel. Choil shot definitely looks different than the grind of the rest of the knife.

 

[Zilberwong]

Hmm! thank you! Wabi sabi it is!

 

[Infrared]

It's the same knife and it's double bevel. Most doubles bevel knives from Japan are asymmetrical, so that's why the choil shot looks like that.

I'm personally not a fan of choil shots since they are usually misleading and don't tell the whole story. But most people seem to like them so I post them.

 

[Zilberwong]

Oh, also I am dumb and brain farted when I saw the word "hira" and in my mind made it "Ura." So I thought you were saying it had a concave backside like a standard single bevel which is reinforced by the choil shot. My bad.