There's no need to register your knife. If you bought directly from kyozen.co.nz, your order confirmation email is your proof of purchase. If your knife was a gift, ask the giver for the order number, or contact us with the purchaser's name or email and we'll look it up. If you bought from one of our stockists, please keep that receipt.

Kyozen is sold mainly online at kyozen.co.nz, with delivery across New Zealand.

Yes. We offer wholesale pricing for hospitality businesses and retailers, and can produce custom and private-label knives. Email admin@kyozen.co.nz with the products and quantities you're interested in.

Kyozen is a New Zealand-owned brand. Every knife is made to our own designs and specifications by specialist knife-makers we've worked with closely for years. We choose the steel, set the hardness and edge angle, and check every batch for edge sharpness, finish and handle fit before it reaches you.

Kyozen is pronounced "KYOH-zen".

HRC measures how hard the steel is. Harder steel (around 60 HRC and above) can be sharpened to a finer edge and stays sharp for longer, but it's less flexible and more likely to chip if twisted or used on hard foods. Softer steel (around 54–57 HRC, common in German-style knives) is tougher and more forgiving but needs sharpening more often.

Neither is "better" — they suit different styles of cooking. Japanese-style knives are generally harder, thinner and sharper, with a narrower edge angle (around 15° per side), which makes them excellent for precise slicing and push-cutting. German-style knives are softer, heavier and thicker, with a wider edge angle (around 20° per side), which suits rocking cuts and heavier tasks.

Our Damascus knives have a hard cutting core clad in layers of softer stainless steel that are folded and etched to reveal the pattern. The core does the cutting; the outer layers add toughness and corrosion resistance. The pattern itself is mainly aesthetic and every blade is slightly different.

• Chef's knife / Gyuto – the all-rounder for slicing, dicing and chopping meat, fish and vegetables.
• Santoku – a shorter, flatter all-rounder, great for vegetables and push-cutting.
• Bunka – a versatile all-rounder similar to a santoku, with an angled "reverse tanto" tip that's great for fine detail work and precise cuts.
• Nakiri – a flat, rectangular blade for chopping vegetables.
• Kiritsuke – a long, flat-edged chef's knife with an angled tip for precise slicing.
• Cleaver – a broad, rectangular blade. Lighter vegetable cleavers slice and chop; heavier cleavers can cut through bone.
• Utility / petty knife – for smaller jobs like trimming, shallots and herbs.
• Paring knife – for peeling and in-hand work.
• Bread knife – a serrated edge for crusty bread and soft tomatoes.
• Boning knife – a narrow blade for separating meat from bone.
• Honesuki – a Japanese boning knife with a stiff, triangular blade, ideal for breaking down chicken and poultry and working around joints.

A traditional steel rod straightens a rolled edge without removing much metal; it works best on softer, German-style knives. A ceramic rod is harder and very lightly abrades the edge as it realigns it, which makes it better suited to harder Japanese-style steel.

Let the sharpness do the work. Use a forward-and-down push cut or a backward pull cut rather than chopping hard straight down. Keep the blade straight through the food — don't twist it. Curl your guiding fingertips under and use your knuckles to guide the blade. When moving food off the board, turn the knife over and use the spine.

The tip is the thinnest part of the blade. It most often breaks when the knife is dropped, used to pry open tins or containers, used to separate frozen food, or knocked against other items in a drawer or sink.

No. Dishwasher detergents, high heat and knocking against other items will dull and chip the edge, damage the handle and can cause rust. Hand wash with warm soapy water, rinse and dry straight away with a towel.

End-grain or edge-grain wood, softer plastic/polyethylene, or rubber boards are best. Avoid glass, marble, granite, slate, ceramic, bamboo (it's harder than it looks) and cutting directly on plates or benchtops.

Avoid bones, frozen food, hard cheese rinds, shellfish shells, corn cobs, very hard squash (unless sliced carefully without twisting), and non-food items like packaging and string.

Use a knife block, magnetic strip (place the spine on first and lift off spine-first), in-drawer knife organiser, or a blade guard/saya. Don't store knives loose in a drawer where the edges can knock against other utensils.

Honing realigns an edge that has rolled or bent slightly during use; it doesn't remove much metal and can be done every few uses. Sharpening grinds away metal to create a brand-new edge and is needed when honing no longer brings the knife back — typically every few months for home cooks, depending on use.

Hold the rod vertically with the tip resting on a towel on your bench. Place the heel of the blade against the top of the rod at roughly 15°. Draw the knife down and toward you so the whole edge, heel to tip, passes along the rod. Alternate sides, using light pressure, for 4–6 strokes per side.

If it slides off a tomato skin or onion instead of biting in, crushes rather than slices, or doesn't improve after honing, it's time to sharpen. You can also check by looking straight down at the edge under a light — if you can see reflective spots, the edge has dulled there.

Whetstones give the best result. A 1000 grit stone for regular sharpening and a 3000–6000 grit stone for finishing work well, at about 15° per side. Avoid pull-through sharpeners designed for German knives (usually 20°) as they can damage a harder, thinner edge.

Every couple of weeks, look along the edge under good light for chips, rolled sections or bright spots, check the tip, and check that the handle is firm with no gaps or movement. Catching small problems early makes them much easier to fix.

• Hand wash and dry straight after use — never the dishwasher or the sink.
• Cut on a wooden or soft plastic board.
• Use slicing motions, don't twist or pry, and scrape food with the spine.
• Hone regularly and sharpen on whetstones when needed.
• Store it in a block, on a magnetic strip or in a blade guard.
• Use the right knife for the job — a cleaver for heavy work, not your chef's knife.

Kyozen knives are covered by our warranty against defects in materials and workmanship, such as handle failure under normal use or a manufacturing flaw in the blade. The warranty doesn't cover normal wear, chips or broken tips from misuse, damage from drops, dishwashers or incorrect sharpening, rust caused by improper care, or loss or theft. This is in addition to your rights under the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993.

Email admin@kyozen.co.nz with your order number, a description of the issue and clear photos of the whole knife and the problem area. We'll assess it and let you know the next steps.

All knives lose sharpness with use — this is normal wear and isn't covered under warranty. Regular honing and occasional sharpening will bring it back to its best.

"Stainless" means stain-resistant, not stain-proof. Spots of rust can appear if a knife is left wet, left in the sink, put through the dishwasher, or left in contact with acidic or salty foods. This is a care issue rather than a defect, so it isn't covered. Light surface rust can usually be removed with a little baking soda paste or a rust eraser, then wash and dry the knife well.

Wash and dry your knife straight after use, especially after cutting acidic foods like tomatoes, citrus or onions. Never leave it soaking or in the sink. Store it dry, and if you won't be using it for a while, a light wipe of food-safe mineral oil (like camellia oil) helps protect the blade.

Some fading of the etched logo and Damascus pattern happens naturally with washing and use, and is cosmetic. It isn't covered under warranty and doesn't affect performance.

Unfortunately not. Damage from misuse is not covered, no matter who was using the knife.

Damage from drops or accidents isn't a manufacturing defect, so it isn't covered. Get in touch with photos anyway — we can advise whether it's repairable.

Harder steels tend to chip or snap rather than bend, so a bent tip usually means the knife has been used to pry or has been dropped. Please email photos and we'll advise on options.

Please don't post anything until we've confirmed by email. Once we've reviewed your photos, we'll send you the return address and instructions. Wrap the blade securely in cardboard so it can't cut through the packaging, and use a tracked service.

Shipping costs are shown at checkout before you pay.

Orders are packed and dispatched promptly, and you'll get a tracking link by email once your order ships. Rural addresses may take an extra day or two.

All accepted payment methods are shown at checkout.

Email admin@kyozen.co.nz as soon as possible with your order number. If it hasn't been dispatched yet, we'll cancel or update it for you. Once it has shipped, please follow our returns process.

Log in to your account using the account icon at the top of the page to see past orders and tracking. If you checked out as a guest, your order details are in your confirmation email.

Unused items in their original packaging can be returned. Email us with your order number to start a return; the customer pays return postage unless the item is faulty. For hygiene and safety reasons, knives that have been used can't be returned for change of mind. If your item arrives faulty or damaged, contact us as soon as possible with photos and we'll put it right — this doesn't affect your rights under the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993.