The Harukaze Morado AS Bunka 170mm is a versatile, high-performance knife that delivers far more than its price suggests. It’s not easy to find Aogami Super edge steel paired with this level of fit and finish at such an accessible price point. The hammered kurouchi finish gives the blade a traditional, hand-forged look, while the rosewood oval handle with maple ferrule adds comfort and a refined feel in hand.
This bunka shape offers a great balance of utility and precision. The relatively flat profile excels at push cutting and chopping, while the pointed tip makes detail work and fine slicing easy. The Aogami Super core steel takes an extremely sharp edge and holds it well, and the stainless cladding helps reduce maintenance compared to fully reactive blades. It’s an excellent all-around choice for home cooks and enthusiasts looking to step into high-performance carbon steel.
Review Synopsis: Customers consistently praise this knife for its outstanding value, sharpness, and attractive finish. Many note that it arrives impressively sharp out of the box and offers performance that rivals more expensive knives. The handle comfort and overall fit and finish are frequently highlighted as strong points. Some users mention that the edge geometry can benefit from sharpening or light thinning to reach peak performance, and that the knife responds very well to this extra tuning. Overall, it’s widely regarded as a great-performing, high-value bunka with excellent steel and solid craftsmanship.
Care Instructions: Hand wash and dry promptly after use. The exposed core steel at the edge is reactive and will develop a patina over time. Avoid cutting hard bones, frozen foods, or very hard materials. Sharpen on water stones as needed to maintain optimal performance.Brand: Harukaze Location: Tosa, Japan Construction: San Mai, Hammer Forged Cladding: Stainless Edge Steel: AS (Aogami Super) Edge Grind: Even Finish: Hammered, Kurouchi Weight: 4.3 oz (122 g) Blade Length: 175 mm Total Length: 316 mm Spine Thickness at Base: 2 mm Blade Height: 43 mm Handle: Rosewood Oval Ferrule: Maple
This bunka shape offers a great balance of utility and precision. The relatively flat profile excels at push cutting and chopping, while the pointed tip makes detail work and fine slicing easy. The Aogami Super core steel takes an extremely sharp edge and holds it well, and the stainless cladding helps reduce maintenance compared to fully reactive blades. It’s an excellent all-around choice for home cooks and enthusiasts looking to step into high-performance carbon steel.
Review Synopsis: Customers consistently praise this knife for its outstanding value, sharpness, and attractive finish. Many note that it arrives impressively sharp out of the box and offers performance that rivals more expensive knives. The handle comfort and overall fit and finish are frequently highlighted as strong points. Some users mention that the edge geometry can benefit from sharpening or light thinning to reach peak performance, and that the knife responds very well to this extra tuning. Overall, it’s widely regarded as a great-performing, high-value bunka with excellent steel and solid craftsmanship.
Care Instructions: Hand wash and dry promptly after use. The exposed core steel at the edge is reactive and will develop a patina over time. Avoid cutting hard bones, frozen foods, or very hard materials. Sharpen on water stones as needed to maintain optimal performance.
Reviews
6 review(s) WRITE A REVIEW (Reviews are subject to approval)
Great Knife! Beyond expectations 
Revised reviewPosted By: Ryan R
37 people found this review helpful
OK I wanted to revise my previous review of this knife, I was a little too hard on it initially. After sharpening this knife myself and using it a bit more my opinion of it has improved. These are obviously not hand sharpened and I needed to work out some of the angle variations produced by the initial sharpening, the edge was more acute in some areas than others. I will say it seems they did a nice job heat treating the AS. It is very hard and wear resistant (seems almost as hard as my Moritaka) and it's holding an 8k edge very nicely with no micro chipping. It does seem like one of the more reactive renditions of AS I've worked with but it's producing a very pretty patina. I would still like to see a bit of distal taper but overall for the money this is a good knife. Very nice fit and finish for the price point, I like the handle a lot. Food release is good too. Wedges just a little in harder stuff but I knew this wouldn't be a laser. My only advice would be to get the sharpening service if you aren't comfortable sharpening it yourself. CKTG does an excellent sharpening job from what I've seen on other's knives although I've never had it done to one of mine because that's half the fun
37 people found this review helpful
OK I wanted to revise my previous review of this knife, I was a little too hard on it initially. After sharpening this knife myself and using it a bit more my opinion of it has improved. These are obviously not hand sharpened and I needed to work out some of the angle variations produced by the initial sharpening, the edge was more acute in some areas than others. I will say it seems they did a nice job heat treating the AS. It is very hard and wear resistant (seems almost as hard as my Moritaka) and it's holding an 8k edge very nicely with no micro chipping. It does seem like one of the more reactive renditions of AS I've worked with but it's producing a very pretty patina. I would still like to see a bit of distal taper but overall for the money this is a good knife. Very nice fit and finish for the price point, I like the handle a lot. Food release is good too. Wedges just a little in harder stuff but I knew this wouldn't be a laser. My only advice would be to get the sharpening service if you aren't comfortable sharpening it yourself. CKTG does an excellent sharpening job from what I've seen on other's knives although I've never had it done to one of mine because that's half the fun
Good fit and finish, not so great edge geometry Posted By: Ryan R
36 people found this review helpful
The fit and finish on this blade is nice. Chefknivestogo got it to me quickly so no complaints there. Very sharp OOTB. I'm not so thrilled with how thick it is behind the edge though. Both directly behind the edge and the primary grind. I have plenty of western knives and much cheaper Japanese knives that have better edge geometry. Even if the steel is excellent I don't like feeling like I have to thin a knife immediately upon receiving it. If you're used to Anryu or Kato knives etc. this knife definitely isn't going to do it for you. It also has zero distal taper and it doesn't have the sturdiest feel due to how thin the tang is left. I feel like I'm left with a knife that has sturdy edge geometry but also a little bit of a flimsy tang. I can't see myself picking this up unless I feel whatever I'm cutting may damage one of my knives that actually has good cutting geometry. If you're looking for a pretty knife that doesn't cut all that well go ahead and pick this knife up. If you're looking for performance this isn't your knife. Again no complaints with Chefknivestogo but I'm probably not going to be purchasing another Harukaze knife based on this example
36 people found this review helpful
The fit and finish on this blade is nice. Chefknivestogo got it to me quickly so no complaints there. Very sharp OOTB. I'm not so thrilled with how thick it is behind the edge though. Both directly behind the edge and the primary grind. I have plenty of western knives and much cheaper Japanese knives that have better edge geometry. Even if the steel is excellent I don't like feeling like I have to thin a knife immediately upon receiving it. If you're used to Anryu or Kato knives etc. this knife definitely isn't going to do it for you. It also has zero distal taper and it doesn't have the sturdiest feel due to how thin the tang is left. I feel like I'm left with a knife that has sturdy edge geometry but also a little bit of a flimsy tang. I can't see myself picking this up unless I feel whatever I'm cutting may damage one of my knives that actually has good cutting geometry. If you're looking for a pretty knife that doesn't cut all that well go ahead and pick this knife up. If you're looking for performance this isn't your knife. Again no complaints with Chefknivestogo but I'm probably not going to be purchasing another Harukaze knife based on this example
Beautiful BunkaPosted By: Natty
36 people found this review helpful
This is now my favorite kitchen knife. I love the traditional finish. Extremely sharp edge out of the box. Handle is a good size/diameter for med. sized hands. Haven't used it enough to assess edge retention or ease of sharpening. Anyone in the market for a used 8" Henkel chef knife (I don't see myself using it anymore)?
36 people found this review helpful
This is now my favorite kitchen knife. I love the traditional finish. Extremely sharp edge out of the box. Handle is a good size/diameter for med. sized hands. Haven't used it enough to assess edge retention or ease of sharpening. Anyone in the market for a used 8" Henkel chef knife (I don't see myself using it anymore)?
