In our line of work, we see a ton of non-automotive products inspired by specific cars. However, more often than not, these products are wristwatches — although there have been some outliers. One of the more unusual outliers is a new chef’s knife made by Nissan, inspired by their very own Z NISMO.
Built on a Legend
A descendant of the 240Z — which itself impacted the Western world’s view of Japanese automaking upon its debut in 1969 — the Z NISMO is the track-focused variant of the Nissan Z. In fact, the 2024 model is the most powerful production Z car ever made with 420hp and 384lb.ft of torque under the hood.
Aiming for a Visual Representation
Aside from the power of the Z NISMO, there’s the visual aesthetic, which the knife aims to tackle with this knife. For the job, Nissan Design USA has tapped knifemaker Satoshi Kiryu, whose grandfather founded the namesake Kiryu nearly 100 years ago.
Collaborating with YouTube-famous sushi chef Hiro Terada, Kiryu looked to embody the performance car with the Z NISMO Precision Sushi Knife — not an easy thing to do. And so, the pair opted for a double-beveled blade for supreme precision, “just as a high-performance machine is built for optimal execution.”
From Design to Execution
Kiryu drew up the design, which sported a kiritsuke style. From there, the blade was laser cut, quenched, tempered, grinded, and polished by Kiryu himself. The surface of the stainless steel blade gets a black-dyed “kuro zome” finish using oxide film. After that, the handle was secured. Representing the Z NISMO on a visual level, the 8.27-inch knife evokes the car’s silhouette with its red spacer on the buffalo horn handle, just as the bodywork on the NISMO.
Limited to just 240 pieces — a nod to the original 240Z — the sushi knife is numbered on the blade and features the insignias of Kiryu and Chef Hiro. Likewise, the knife comes in a black lacquered box sporting Nissan’s logo and Chef Hiro’s name on the outside. Inside the lid is a depiction of the past six generations of Z models going back to the 240Z.
Spec Sheet
Type: Sushi knife
Blade: Stainless steel
Handle: Buffalo horn
Length: 8.27”
Limited Edition?: Yes, 240
Pricing & Availability
Again, the Z NISMO Precision Sushi Knife is limited to just 240 pieces and sold out very quickly, even at a price tag of $301. To learn about the knife, head over to Nissan’s website.
Recap
Nissan Z NISMO Precision Sushi Knife
Nissan teamed up with knifemaker Satoshi Kiryu and YouTube sushi chef Hiro Terada on this 8.27-inch sushi knife inspired by the Z Nismo.
