The 170 mm Bunka shares the Santoku’s versatility, featuring a K-tip that allows for precise, detailed work on vegetables, meats, and fish. The generous blade height ensures ample clearance for your fingers on the cutting board, while the relatively straight profile facilitates push cuts. At 170 mm, this size handles most everyday tasks without taking up too much space on the cutting board.
The hammered tsuchime finish covers the entire length of the blade’s side, creating irregular dimples that reduce food sticking during cutting. A wavy hagane line runs along the cutting edge, marking the boundary between the hard core and the jigane cladding in this sanmai construction, featuring a Shirogami #1 core and jigane cladding. The octagonal ebony wa handle, with its deep color and tight grain, is separated from the blade by a buffalo horn ferrule.
Shirogami #1 (White Steel #1) is one of the purest carbon steels in the Hitachi Metals range: no chromium, no tungsten, and a carbon content between 1.25% and 1.35%. This composition allows for a blade edge of a fineness that is difficult to match at this level of hardness, between 63 and 65 HRC. On a whetstone, the steel responds quickly. A patina develops rapidly upon contact with acids and moisture.
Care
Wipe the blade immediately after each use. The patina that forms naturally protects the steel. Apply a light coat of camellia oil for extended storage. Never wash in the dishwasher.
