Miyabi Knives: Kaizen, Mizu, Koya, Birchwood, Black & Beyond!

Miyabi is a brand of Zwilling J.A. Henckels, one of the oldest and most respected German cutlery brands. In 2004, Zwilling acquired a Japanese knife factory in Seki, blending Japanese tradition with German engineering, and the Miyabi brand was born.

Unlike many knife makers in Japan, Miyabi controls its heat treatment in-house, allowing for consistent blade hardness and edge retention. Every single one of the Miyabi knives goes through a 130-step process, including:

• Cryogenic Ice Hardening – Strengthens the steel, improving corrosion resistance and durability.
• Traditional Honbazuke Sharpening – The blade is stone ground, Whetstone sharpened and finished with a leather strop for a razor-sharp edge.
• Handcrafting by Skilled Artisans – Some models require up to 40 artisans to complete.

Now, let’s break down all nine of the Miyabi series by steel type, starting with VG10, then Miyabi's proprietary blend, FC61, followed by SG2 powdered metallurgy steel, and finally, the highest Rockwell, MC66.

The first series by Miyabi Knives was the Kaizen, which is still one of their most popular series in the line-up. The Kaizen's blade shape, minimalistic bolster, balance, and traditional Japanese handle set the tone for all future Miyabi designs.

Features:

• VG10 core, encased by 64 layers of Damascus steel

• 60 Rockwell hardness

• Polished Damascus finish with a 3-step Honbazuke sharpening process

• Micarta D-shaped handle with a mosaic pin, red spacers, and steel end cap

VG10 is one of the most popular Japanese steels that has been around since the 1980s. The benefit of VG10 is that the 60-61 Rockwell steel has excellent edge retention compared to lower Rockwell German knives. It's also much more forgiving and durable than higher Rockwell Japanese knives.

Whether you prefer the European-style rock chop, cross chop mincing, tap, or push chopping, the Miyabi Kaizen's VG10 stainless steel can handle it all. In addition to being durable, VG10 is easy to sharpen with a Whetstone, and the stainless steel requires minimal maintenance compared to high-carbon steel Japanese blades.

Miyabi's Kaizen 8" chef's knife, along with many of the Miyabi chef's knives, has a near-perfect balance at the base of the blade into the bolster and a fluid feel whether used on or above the cutting board.

The Kaizen II features FC61 stainless steel, a proprietary blend designed to offer the edge retention of VG10 while increasing durability. In addition to Miyabi using FC61 for half of their series, Zwilling even uses it for the Kramer Meiji, a prized collector's knife based on Bob Kramer's hand-forged knives.

Features:

• Friodur(x2) FC61 stainless steel core with 49-layer Damascus cladding
• 61 Rockwell hardness
• Deep-etched and dark stainless Damascus Cladding
• D-shaped Pakkawood handle, slightly thicker and more rounded than the original Kaizen
• Elongated steel bolster, making the knife feel slightly heavier at the handle

Although the Kaizen II bears the Kaizen name, we wouldn't necessarily consider it an "updated" version because their differences are significant. It's like comparing a 2002 4Runner to 2022; both are excellent vehicles in the sense of performance, but they look and feel very different!

The Kaizen II's elongated bolster and broader handle design create a handle-leaning balance at the pinch grip, which may provide familiarity to those from the world of handle-heavy German knives. The Kaizen II's blade height at the heel is also a bit taller than the Kaizen, which creates a slightly smoother flow when rock chopping. The straighter edge of the original Kaizen makes surface contact with the cutting board until about halfway up the blade from the heel, while the Kaizen II is roughly a third of the way. The Kaizen may be better if you prefer tap and push chopping with a straighter edge profile. However, the Kaizen II can still tap and push chop efficiency, depending on the size of the ingredients you prep most often (these are nuanced details that we knife nerds love to dive into).

The lightweight, sleek, and more traditional design of the Koh became very popular, but many of our customers wanted a more natural color tone to match their kitchens, so we created the Koya as a Cutlery and More exclusive. Aside from the handle color, these two Miyabi knives are identical.

Features:

• FC61 stainless steel core
• Sand-blasted stainless steel cladding
• 61 Rockwell hardness
• Octagonal Pakkawood handle (black for Koh, blonde for Koya)
• Elongated, minimalistic styled bolster

The Miyaba Koh and Koya are the only Knives in the Miyabi line-up to feature an octagonal handle design. Although not entirely traditional since they have a bolster, the feel is reminiscent of traditional Japanese handles. What's lovely about these two Miyabi knives is how seamlessly the bolster flows into the pakkawood handle; it's almost like they are one single piece.

Pakkawood is a resin and composite wood-engineered material that's very similar to micarta in the sense of its durability. However, pakkawood still has a slight warmth that only natural wood handles usually provide. The benefit is you don't have to worry about changes in temperature and humidity potentially warping the handle. If you accidentally leave a pakkawood handle knife soaking in the sink for a while, it won't absorb water either. 

The Evolution blends the Zwilling Pro chef's knife and the Miyabi Koya. It's a beautiful mash-up of German feel and Japanese performance.

• FC61 stainless steel, with a full tang and a taller blade profile
• 61 Rockwell hardness
• Triple-riveted POM handle, similar in shape to Zwilling's chef's knives
• One of the tallest Miyabi knives in the lineup

It's simple: If you're a huge fan of German knives' shape and handle feel but want the edge retention and performance of a Japanese knife, the Evolution is for you!

Although most Miyabi knives are nicely balanced due to their bolsters, weighted handles, and end caps, the Evolution takes things further with its full-tang construction. However, unlike an 8" German chef's knife, the Evolution is nearly perfectly balanced at the bolster. The heel is the tallest of all the Miyabi knives, even more so than the Kaizen II, providing a stellar flow when rock chopping. The slight downward curve to the tip of the blade allows for more intricate knife work than most German knives, and the sand-blasted finish looks like a sword!

The Artisin is the first of the Miyabi knives in our series overview boasting SG2 stainless steel. SG2 is forged through a process called powdered metallurgy. Basically, various alloying elements are ground into a fine powder, blended, and then forged. The homogenized elements create an incredibly fine micro-structure to the stainless steel, increasing hardness, edge retention, and durability. SG2 provides the best of both worlds in the sense of a significantly harder edge while still being more resilient to chipping and fracturing.

Features:

• SG2 micro-carbide steel core with a hammered Tsuchime finish
• 63 Rockwell hardness, higher than the previously mentioned VG10 and FC61 steels
• Traditional Japanese 9-12° edge angle
• Cocobolo Rosewood Pakkawood handle, featuring a rounded, contoured grip
• Brass and red spacers, with a stainless steel end cap

If you're a fan of bass fishing, you'll understand this analogy perfectly; for everyone else, use your Instagram Imagination! The handle of the Artisan looks like a side profile photo of a six-pound trophy bass with its girthy, rounded, bulbous belly! What's interesting about this prize-winning handle is that it's comfortable for petite and massive hands alike, and the knife's balance is still even at the bolster.

The Artisan is also the first you're learning about with a hammered blade finish, also called tsuchime. Every little divot in the blade acts as an air pocket, similar to knives with hollows on the side. Many people say that hollows and hammers prevent food from sticking to the side of the blade, but that's not the case. Instead, the hammered finish helps wet and sticky foods release more easily from the blade. Generally, when you push into your next cucumber cut, the new slice will push off the previous.

The Miyabi Mizu results from years of feedback on Miyabi knives from some of our most loyal Miyabi customers who wanted the best of Miyabi's two best-selling knives. Our exclusive Mizu series is a combination of the original Kaizen handle, and the SG2 hammered blade of the Artisan.

Features:

• SG2 Powdered Stainless Steel
• 63 Rockwell hardness
• D-shaped Micarta handle, providing a sleek, contoured grip
• Red spacers, a mosaic accent pin, and a stainless steel end cap

We'll keep it short since you've already learned about this beautiful hybrid's features and specs. It's quickly become our best-selling Miyabi knife at Cutlery and More. The grip is great, the blade is tough yet elegant, and it performs like Japanese knives approaching that $300-400 range. You'll love this easy-to-maintain, beautiful workhorse!

Oh, the Birchwood. A fan favorite here at Cutlery and More - can you blame us? Look at this absolutely stunning knife! Not to sound like a late-night jewelry infomercial from the 90s or a Mercedes Benz commercial, but this is such a gorgeous knife! We digress.

Features:

• SG2 powdered stainless steel core
• 101-layer Stainless Steel Damascus cladding
• Cryodur ice-hardened to 63 Rockwell hardness
• Stainless bolster and end cap, red inlays, mosaic pin
• Karelian Birchwood D-shaped handle – the only wood ever used in Fabergé eggs

Remember earlier when we talked about how the Kaizen II was difficult to call the upgraded version of the Kaizen because of its different features? Well, Birchwood is what we would call the upgraded Kaizen.

The weight, balance, handle shape, bolster, blade shape, and polish are nearly identical. If you were to balance these knives with your pointer finger right at the base of the blade and then hold at a pinch grip, you'd hardly be able to tell the difference if you were blindfolded.

So, how is the Birchwood an upgraded Kaizen?

• 64 layers to 101 layers of Damascus cladding
• VG10 to SG2 stainless steel
• 61 to 63 Rockwell hardness
• Micarta to Natural Birchwood Handle

Continuing with the 4Runner analogy earlier, this is like upgrading from an SR5 base model to the top-of-the-line TRD PRO. It's definitely an upgrade!

In addition to the 101-layers of stainless steel Damasus cladding, what makes the Birchwood pop is in the name; the birchwood handle. The unfinished natural birchwood has a warmth and grip that can only be experienced, not explained. It's truly a work of art!

Finally, wrapping up the series of Miyabi knives, the Black. It's the knife that everyone wants but very few people should have. It's the hardest steel but also the most delicate, an oxymoron of language often used to describe high Rockwell Japanese knives.

Features:

• MC66 stainless steel core
• 132 layers of dark-etched stainless Damascus cladding
• 66 Rockwell hardness, providing unmatched edge retention with proper use
• Ice-hardened to -196°C, making it one of the hardest stainless steel knives available
• D-shaped Bigleaf Maple handle, dyed black for a striking contrast

Why is this the knife that most people shouldn't have? It all comes down to the MC66 stainless steel core with 66 Rockwell hardness. Once you surpass SG2s 63 Rockwell, you enter a world of knives requiring specific cutting techniques. Tap and push chopping and slicing are the three main cutting techniques appropriate for blades with such high Rockwells. In addition to the Black not being designed for rock chopping, it also doesn't like to be used as a bench scraper, it hates hard-wood cutting boards and basically needs to be treated like your first-born baby, overprotected and maybe coddled a bit too much.

Why are we talking you out of this magnificent-looking knife with a price tag of $425+? Because we've had too many people acquire this high-end blade, use it improperly, blame us or Miyabi, and demand a return. Fortunately, for those folks, we have such an extraordinary return policy and customer service team that we take the knife back 99% of the time.

The Black isn't for beginners or those without experience working with a 63+ Rockwell blade. Given that the Rockwell is 66 AND it's stainless steel, not only is it prone to chipping and cracking, it's much harder to sharpen than high-carbon steel blades with a similar Rockwell.

The Black deserves treatment like a $1,500 hand-forged small-batch Japanese knife. Tap and push chopping or slicing on a soft hinoki or rubber cutting board, tucking it in at night in a safe place, and occasionally giving it a mineral oil bath to pamper the big leaf maple wood handle. It's a lifelong commitment of TLC! If you can handle all that, you'll love this knife forever!

All Miyabi knives have a stainless steel core and cladding, making them easy to maintain. However, they should be treated like any fine Japanese blade.

• Washing: DO NOT put any of these knives in the dishwasher. Hand-wash them with a soft sponge or synthetic dish brush, rinse, and hand dry immediately.
• Honing: You should get into the habit of honing your knives after every prep session or at least once a week. Honing with a steel or ceramic rod, or a leather strop will keep the edge sharp and delay sharpening for many months!
• Storing: The last place any of these knives want to be is in a messy drawer with other knives and utensils. The best ways to store your knife are in a knife block, on a magnetic strip or stand, or with a plastic knife guard or sheath. Protect that edge!
• Sharpening: VG10 and FC61 stainless steels are easy to sharpen on a Whetstone, but if you're not up for the task, we recommend finding a local sharpener to bring your blades back to life. SG2 stainless steel requires a bit more work on a Whetstone, especially if a chip needs to be worked out. If you own an SG2 steel blade, you should learn how to use a Whetstone. MC66 should only be sharpened by professional sharpeners or those with significant experience using a whetstone.

Now that you know more about Miyabi knives that most self-declared "knife experts", you can can confidently decide which of the series is best for you.

Things to consider:

• What is your preferred cutting technique? Aside from the Miyabi Black, all the knives perform well with all cutting techniques. However, if you primarily use the European-style rock chop, you may want to prioritize the Kaizen II and Evolution due to their taller blade height at the heel.
• Do you know how to sharpen with a Whetstone? If you're comfortable with Whetstone sharpening, any knife, including the SG2 and MC66 steels, will do. However, if you're looking for the easiest knife to maintain and hone and one that sharpens easily (even with a pull sharpener), we recommend any VG10 or FC61 series.
• Do you require the familiarity of a German knife? If you're looking for that handle-heavy balance of a German chef's knife, then we recommend the Kaizen II for weight or the Evolution for feel. 
• What's your budget? The Koya and Koh are the most affordable Miyabi knives, with the Birchwood and Black being the highest investment. Fortunately, the majority of Miyabi knives are affordable and competitive among others in its class.

Whichever Miyabi knife or set of knives you decide to add to your collection or begin one with, you now have the confidence to pick the series that works best for you, your budget, and your skillset with a knife.