The Yoshimitsu brothers work out of a small shop near Nagasaki in southern Japan, a business that has been running since 1852. They do most of their own cladding by hand, inserting hard core steel into soft iron, a labor-intensive method that has become increasingly rare as more of the industry shifts that work to specialty steel mills, and it was exactly that commitment to traditional methods that first drew CKTG to the shop as their first US distributor.
This bunka is built from Aogami Super, the highest grade in the YSK lineup, with enough carbon, chromium, and tungsten content to push hardness to about 62 to 63 HRC while improving both edge retention and corrosion resistance compared to lesser carbon steels. The core is set into a softer iron jigane through san mai construction, which adds protection and strength without slowing down the edge. At 180mm, the bunka sits at an average length for the shape, light and quick through slicing, dicing, and mincing, finished with an octagonal walnut handle with a black pakka wood ferrule.
What Customers Are Saying: The one reviewer on this listing has used the bunka regularly since buying it and likes the handle and overall feel, with the main critique being that the blade feels a bit too lightweight for their taste, a fair point for anyone who prefers more heft in hand.
Care Instructions: Aogami Super is reactive and one of the hardest carbon steels around, so wipe and dry the blade immediately after each use rather than letting it sit. Avoid leaving acidic foods against the blade for long stretches, and apply a light coat of camellia oil for longer-term storage. Hand wash only, and a quality water stone with a final strop will keep the edge at its sharpest between full sharpenings.
Each knife is made by hand so measurements may vary.
This bunka is built from Aogami Super, the highest grade in the YSK lineup, with enough carbon, chromium, and tungsten content to push hardness to about 62 to 63 HRC while improving both edge retention and corrosion resistance compared to lesser carbon steels. The core is set into a softer iron jigane through san mai construction, which adds protection and strength without slowing down the edge. At 180mm, the bunka sits at an average length for the shape, light and quick through slicing, dicing, and mincing, finished with an octagonal walnut handle with a black pakka wood ferrule.
What Customers Are Saying: The one reviewer on this listing has used the bunka regularly since buying it and likes the handle and overall feel, with the main critique being that the blade feels a bit too lightweight for their taste, a fair point for anyone who prefers more heft in hand.
Care Instructions: Aogami Super is reactive and one of the hardest carbon steels around, so wipe and dry the blade immediately after each use rather than letting it sit. Avoid leaving acidic foods against the blade for long stretches, and apply a light coat of camellia oil for longer-term storage. Hand wash only, and a quality water stone with a final strop will keep the edge at its sharpest between full sharpenings.
Each knife is made by hand so measurements may vary.
- Brand: Yoshimitsu
- Location: Nagasaki, Japan
- Construction: San Mai, Hammer Forged
- Edge Steel: Aogami Super
- Cladding: Soft Iron
- HRC: 62-63
- Finish: Kurouchi
- Edge Grind: Even (50/50)
- Handle: Walnut Octagonal
- Ferrule: Black Pakka Wood
- Weight: 4.4 oz (125 g)
- Blade Length: 180 mm
- Total Length: 316 mm
- Spine Thickness at Heel: 4 mm
- Blade Height: 47 mm
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