Master Blacksmith Katsushige Anryu has retired and handed over his business to his long-time apprentice, Ikeda san. He uses Hitachi White Paper #2 as the core steel for this great-looking and performing
bunka. He hand-forges the blade in the san-mai style using a multi-layer soft iron cladding. The outer layer is left with that great-looking kurouchi, or blacksmith’s, finish. This then transforms into the underlying damascus pattern, resulting in a blade of unmatched aesthetic quality. As both inner and outer layer are high carbon, they will rust if not cared for, so please clean and dry this knife during and after use.
The ko bunka is a very versatile blade that is becoming more popular with both professional and home chefs. It is shorter in length than a
gyuto which, combined with its tall blade height, creates a knife with very broad uses and appeal. This is a shorter version of a regular bunka and is favored especially by people who like push cutting and chopping techniques. The short length makes it very useful for in-hand work and processing smaller ingredients and proteins.
The fit and finish are up to the usual standards of the brand. The aesthetic appeal is enhanced with some lovely chiseled kanji elements and coupled to the finely crafted rosewood oval handle with black pakka wood ferrule. No doubt the beautiful reverse tanto profile also adds to this compelling aesthetic appeal.
Workshop: Anryu Hamono
Lead Blacksmith: Ikeda san
Location: Echizen, Japan
Factory: Takefu Village
Construction: San Mai, Hammer Forged
Edge Steel: Shirogami #2
HRC: 61
Cladding: Iron / Kurouchi Damascus
Core Steel: White #2 (Shiro = White Gami=Steel)
Edge Grind: Double Bevel, Even
Handle: Rosewood Oval
Ferrule: Black Pakka Wood
Weight: 2.6 ounces
Blade Length: 130 mm
Total Length: 260 mm
Spine Thickness at Base: 2.4 mm
Blade Height: 33.4 mm