With Volkswagen officially selling more sausages than cars last year and Nissan building chef knives, these car marques seem to be really embracing side missions. The Z NISMO Precision Sushi Knife feels like something only Japan could birth: half culinary weapon, half rolling tribute to decades of motorsport legacy. It’s absurd in premise, laser-precise in execution, and surprisingly grounded once you dig beneath the surface polish.
At 8.27 inches long, this kiritsuke-style sushi knife looks less like something from a Tokyo fish market and more like it just downshifted into your kitchen. Designed by Satoshi Kiryu—whose lineage in knifemaking stretches back nearly a century—it’s a high-performance edge tool born of collaboration with YouTube-famous sushi chef Hiro Terada and Nissan Design USA. The result feels like a concept car that actually made it to production: rare, obsessive in detail, and unapologetically niche.
Designer: Nissan
The blade is double-beveled stainless steel, finished in a black oxide “kuro zome” coating that looks menacing while also helping with corrosion resistance, too. There’s a sleekness here that echoes the lines of the Z itself, down to the subtle taper of the edge. No Damascus showboating, no flashy inlays. Just a blade that means business, wrapped in a minimalist aesthetic that screams control. It’s forged with surgical precision and tempered like it’s preparing for a 14,000 RPM redline. The handle’s crafted from buffalo horn, accented by a red spacer meant to mimic the crimson detailing on the Z NISMO’s aerodynamic trim. It’s tactile, elegant, and—crucially—it still feels like it belongs in a sushi chef’s hand, not a display case next to a Hot Wheels collection.
Only 240 units were made, referencing the original Datsun 240Z that changed the way the West viewed Japanese sports cars back in 1969. Each blade is numbered and boxed in a black lacquer case adorned with the six generations of Z cars etched inside. It’s collectible, no doubt—but functionally, it’s also just a damn good knife. And here’s the kicker: It sold out almost instantly at $301. That’s not cheap by knife standards, but anyone who’s spent time in either the EDC or kitchen game knows you’re getting what you pay for.
Would I carry this in an EDC rotation? Absolutely not. It’s too long, too purpose-built, too refined to toss into a bag or field kit. But that’s like asking if you’d daily drive a Z NISMO in Manhattan traffic. Wrong context. This knife, like the car that inspired it, is about intent. It’s made to perform under pressure, with grace and discipline. Use it in the right setting, and it’ll glide like a tuned differential on fresh tarmac.
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