SOG Unveils the Kiku Series by Kiku Matsuda

The knife industry is so vast — what with factory knives, custom knives, collaborations, new releases, etc. — that it’s very easy to overlook something.

But I spotted a press release over at Ammoland about the partnership between legendary Japanese knife maker Kiku Matsuda and SOG and, boy, I am sore I didn’t notice this collaboration sooner.

The Kiku Series is the first-ever production series of knives designed by Kiku Matsuda, who is well-known for his skills as an expert knife grinder. Matsuda can create an array of knife grinds free hand.

That’s why the knives in the Kiku Series are so unique and good-looking.

A phrase used by a customer in his review perfectly describes these knives: functional art.

Kiku Series Fixed Blade

There are two versions of the Kiku Fixed Blade, a large and small version. The blade on the Large Kiku Fixed Blade is 5.6 inches long while the blade on the Small Kiku Fixed Blade is 4.9 inches.

Each version has green linen micarta handle with a plain satin blade, but the real magic comes in the grind. The upper part of the blade is a Hamaguri-Ba grind with the lower part being a gently recurved hollow grind.

Kiku Series Folding Knife

The folder also has two versions, one with a 3.5-inch blade and another with a 4.6-inch blade. The handles are made of the same linen micarta as the fixed blade, but the real interesting fact is that these are the first folding knives from Matsuda.

These folders are liner locks and they come with left-handed and right-handed deep riding pocket clips. These also have the unique Hamaguri-Ba grind.

The knives in the Kiku Series embody the craftsmanship of Kiku Matsuda at a great street price.

If you want a nice in depth review of the series, I highly recommend checking out the review at The Firearm Blog.