Anryu Kurouchi Damascus Ko Bunka 135mm

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