Announcing the Official Order Opening for "琥 -KOHAKU-"

A new category of knife — between hagane and stainless steel.

In November 2025, KOHAKU launched as a limited pre-release — and sold out within hours of opening. We heard from many of you in the weeks that followed, asking when it would return. That wait is now over.

Official orders open on Wednesday, April 8th, 2026 (Japan Standard Time).
For those who have been waiting, and for those discovering KOHAKU for the first time, here is the full story: where it came from, how it performs, and what sets it apart.

— Development Story —

What Nenohi has pursued for decades is deceptively simple: a knife that truly cuts. Among craftsmen, the highest standard has long been the honyaki — forged from hagane, high-carbon steel — prized for its sharpness, its feel, and its remarkable responsiveness on the whetstone. The tradeoff is well known: hagane demands care. Left exposed to moisture, it rusts.

For over 30 years, Nenohi's development work around stainless steel has asked one question: how do we make a rust-resistant knife cut like hagane? KOHAKU begins from the opposite direction. Rather than improving stainless steel's cutting performance, we asked: starting from a hagane honyaki, how far can we reduce its tendency to rust?

The concept had been forming for years. In 2023, it finally took concrete shape. After extensive trial and error, we reached a level of performance we were confident in — and KOHAKU was finalized in 2025.

The result occupies genuinely new ground: a knife with properties between hagane and stainless steel, distinct from either. No comparable approach currently exists in the cutlery industry.

— Performance —

Professional testers have consistently reported that KOHAKU cuts on par with the finest hagane honyaki knives. Its feel and sharpness are considered equivalent. On the whetstone, it behaves more like hagane than stainless steel — responsive, predictable, and noticeably easier to sharpen than conventional stainless.

The question we hear most often: how rust-resistant is it, really? Think of hagane as one end of the spectrum and standard stainless steel as the other — KOHAKU lands close to the stainless end, with only a slight trade-off in corrosion resistance. While slightly below standard stainless steel, this presents no significant issue in everyday use. Rinse promptly after use, hand-wash, and dry. This is simply good practice for any quality knife. For those willing to adopt this minimal routine, KOHAKU's practical durability is fully assured.

Based on internal testing and feedback from professional testers during development.

— How 琥 KOHAKU compares —

vs. Hagane Honyaki
Sharpness: Equivalent
Ease of sharpening: Equivalent
Rust resistance: KOHAKU leads

vs. 楓 KAEDE
Sharpness: KOHAKU leads
Ease of sharpening: KOHAKU leads
Rust resistance: KAEDE leads

vs. 榊 SAKAKI
Sharpness: Comparable
Ease of sharpening: KOHAKU leads
Rust resistance: SAKAKI leads

KOHAKU brings honyaki-level sharpness into a knife that can be used daily without the anxiety of hagane. This combination has not existed in the Nenohi lineup until now.

— Lineup & Pricing —

※ All prices are excluding Japanese tax, with Magnolia handle and no Magnolia saya. Prices vary depending on handle type and saya options.
※Shapes and sizes not listed above are available as custom orders.

For purchases and further details on KOHAKU, please feel free to contact us via our inquiry form.