Most cooks discover Shiro Kamo through his stunning SG2 Damascus work, but this Aogami Super kurouchi bunka reveals a completely different dimension of his craft — raw, purposeful, and deeply satisfying to use. Awarded the Dento-Kogei-shi title — meaning master of traditional crafts — at just 47 years old, Kamo-san works at the Takefu Knife Village cooperative in Echizen, Japan with a small, tightly supervised crew that keeps every stage of production in-house.
The bunka is one of the most versatile formats in the Japanese kitchen — a compact, tall blade with a distinctive reverse tanto tip that excels at push cutting vegetables, slicing proteins, and handling fine detail work with equal confidence. This one is built around Aogami Super carbon steel — also known as Super Blue — hardened to 63 HRC, one of the finest carbon steels available and prized for its ability to take an extremely keen edge and hold it through demanding use. The stainless cladding keeps maintenance manageable while the kurouchi — meaning black finish — surface carries the honest, as-forged character of the blade. At 176mm with a 46mm blade height it has excellent knuckle clearance and real authority on the cutting board. The walnut octagonal handle with maple ferrule is warm, comfortable, and well fitted throughout.
Care Instructions:
Aogami Super carbon steel is reactive and will develop a natural patina with use — this is normal and helps protect the steel. Wipe the blade clean during use and dry it thoroughly immediately after washing. Avoid leaving water or acidic foods on the blade for any length of time. A light coat of camellia oil is recommended for long-term storage. Hand wash only.
The bunka is one of the most versatile formats in the Japanese kitchen — a compact, tall blade with a distinctive reverse tanto tip that excels at push cutting vegetables, slicing proteins, and handling fine detail work with equal confidence. This one is built around Aogami Super carbon steel — also known as Super Blue — hardened to 63 HRC, one of the finest carbon steels available and prized for its ability to take an extremely keen edge and hold it through demanding use. The stainless cladding keeps maintenance manageable while the kurouchi — meaning black finish — surface carries the honest, as-forged character of the blade. At 176mm with a 46mm blade height it has excellent knuckle clearance and real authority on the cutting board. The walnut octagonal handle with maple ferrule is warm, comfortable, and well fitted throughout.
Care Instructions:
Aogami Super carbon steel is reactive and will develop a natural patina with use — this is normal and helps protect the steel. Wipe the blade clean during use and dry it thoroughly immediately after washing. Avoid leaving water or acidic foods on the blade for any length of time. A light coat of camellia oil is recommended for long-term storage. Hand wash only.
- Blacksmith: Shiro Kamo
- Location: Echizen, Japan
- Workshop: Takefu Knife Village
- Construction: San Mai, Hammer Forged
- Edge Steel: Aogami Super Carbon Steel
- Cladding: Stainless Steel
- Finish: Kurouchi
- HRC: 63
- Edge Grind: Even 50/50
- Handle: Walnut Octagonal
- Ferrule: Maple
- Weight: 3.9 oz (110 g)
- Blade Length: 176 mm
- Total Length: 314 mm
- Spine Thickness at Heel: 2.5 mm
- Blade Height: 46 mm
