Kenshiro Hatono R2 Damascus Bunka 175 mm

The Blacksmith

Kenshiro Hatono is a young and very talented smith who has been working as an apprentice under Katsuyasu Kamo in the Takefu knife village for about 5 years. He is preparing to open his own business and will begin producing knives under his own name in larger quantities next spring (2024) if all goes to plan. We are very excited to have his knives in our shop and look forward to seeing him grow as a smith over the coming years. He is able to work with a variety of steels, can produce many different finishes and along with his excellent edge geometry we are expecting big things from him! 

The Shape 

The Bunka can be thought of as the edgier cousin of the Santoku. They serve the same purpose as each other, being general purpose knives at the medium size range and are great for anyone looking for something slightly smaller than a Gyuto that remains very versatile. The more aggressively shaped tip referred to as a "reverse tanto" or "K" tip is largely an aesthetic difference but I do find it very helpful when performing a brunoise on shallots or garlic for instance, the shape and extra height it provides near the tip of the knife give me a stronger sense of comfort when performing such a task. 

The Knife 

This bunka has a beautiful layered Damascus blade -- truly a showstopper! The profile or curve of the blade is gentle so as to make an up and down or push and pull chopping motion perfectly suitable for use but it's not so flat that one can't use a rocking motion as well. It's overall a light blade and has nice blade geometry, thin at the spine and thin at behind the edge but not so much so that we would describe this knife as delicate and would highly recommend it for anyone just starting their Japanese knife journey. 

Knife Care (Stainless Steel)

• Although this knife is made from stainless steel we do still encourage our customers to keep their knives as dry and clean as possible.
• NO DISHWASHER - the high heat will ruin the wooden handle.
• Wash and dry by hand using regular dish soap and warm water using a none abrasive sponge or cloth.
• Ensure the knife is dry before being put away for storage and ensure the edge of the knife is protected to avoid any unnecessary dulling.
• Avoid Bones, Frozen foods, nuts and hard candies or anything other than fruits, vegetables and proteins.