• Yoshimi Kato SG2 Black Damascus Bunka 165mm from Yoshimi Kato
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Yoshimi Kato SG2 Black Damascus Bunka 165mm

Yoshimi Kato SG2 Black Damascus Bunka 165mm

$563.00 AUD
$563.00 AUD
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About Yoshimi Kato - Second careers are often the best. I know of a burned-out chef, for example, who owns a few knife shops now. Then there's Yoshimi Kato, who left his job as the project manager of a construction company to become a blacksmith after marrying Hiroshi Kato's daughter.
Normally, it takes apprentices some 10 – 15 years to become pros, but Kato-san did it in just 5 years, and is now running the show. He forges most of the Masakage Kiri, Yuki, and Koishi knives that were once his father-in-law's domain. Kato-san also brings a very special level of professionalism and care to his customers’ orders, ensuring that each and every finished blade fully meets his exacting quality standards. 

About the Shape - The Bunka looks like a bonafide badass. It is a multi purpose knife akin to the Santoku. “Bunka” translates to “culture.” A cross between the Nakiri and Gyuto, Bunkas can do it all. It’s the best of both worlds with the volume cranked to 11.

Shape Bunka
Also know as? You could also call it a depending on what part of Japan you are in.
Maintenance Level Low
Blade Length 165 mm |
Blade Height 47 mm
Thickness 1.9 mm
Weight 143 g
Steel Type SG2/R2 High Speed Powder Stainless Steel with Stainless Steel Cladding
Rockwell Hardness 62 - 63
Edge/Bevel Double (50/50)
Handle Wa (Japanese) Handle -
Blacksmith Yoshimi Kato
Made in Echizen, Fukui, Japan

A note about measurements: Handmade Japanese knives can vary in their dimensions, so these measurements are only an example.


Stainless steel is super handy because it doesn’t rust or stain easily like carbon steel. That said, remember it is stain-less, not stain-never. While it is much easier to care for than high-carbon steel, it does benefit from proper use: use it, wash it, dry it and put it away. Always avoid the dishwasher!

USE  

• Only cut food you can bite through with this knife. Hard foods can chip the blade. No olive pits, bones,  lobster shells, woody stems or parmesan rinds. Cutting frozen food is especially bad  because the cold will make hard steel even more brittle. If you wouldn’t chew it with  your own teeth, don’t cut it.  

• Your cutting surface is the biggest culprit of dulling your knife. Use wood. End  grain wood is especially good. Plastic can be fine too, but certainly not glass,  granite or bamboo. 

• The edge of your knife works best sliding forwards or backwards. Scraping the  knife edge sideways will dull or damage the edge. Instead, use the spine of the knife to move foods across the cutting board. Do not twist the edge or pry with the edge, this is the worst screwdriver you ever bought and these motions will certainly  damage the edge. Listen to the knife! If you can hear the edge making a “tink”  sound on the cutting board, change what you are doing.  

CLEANING  

• After use, wash the knife by hand with regular dish soap, rinse with hot water  and dry by hand immediately. Dishwashers are very bad for knives.  

• Wood handles may dry out over time and exposure to water. Simply treat them  with some food safe wax.

STORING  

• Protect the edge for your safety and to avoid edge damage. A simple blade cover  will do the trick if you keep knives in a drawer or in a travel case.  

• The convenient wall magnet made with wood is a great way to show off your knives.  Be sure to put it back spine first, then roll it onto the blade face. This will keep the  edge from contacting the wood first.  

• The good ol’ counter top block can keep knives at the ready and protected, so  can drawer inserts. Whatever the method, it should keep the edge from touching  anything else. 

Shipping and Returns

We aim to ship your order within 1 business day at Knifewear, if there is a hold up, we'll aim to let you know and give you a timeline.

We offer $3 shipping on orders over $100* anywhere in Canada and $200* to customers in the USA. We ship worldwide, and offer up to the minute rates from our shipping partner DHL.

*Konro Grills and some other larger items are excluded from the free shipping offer.

How do I make a return on an online order?
No worries, we've got you sorted. Head over to https://knifewear.mom/returns and follow the prompts. 

Can I pick up my order Curbside / At the store?
Absolutely, as long as all the items you are looking for are in stock at the location you want to pickup from, you'll be able to select that at the checkout. If one or more items aren't at your preferred location we are happy to ship it to you. 

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Overall rating: 4.909091 / 5 from 11 reviews.

AI Generated Review Summary

Summary topics

Review topics: ["edge","knife","bunka","laser"].

Review highlights

Reviews

Sharp and versatile

"The Yoshimi bunka was fairly sharp out of the box but needed a few passes on my strop (with diamond paste) for a really nice edge. It compares well to my Masakage AS gyuto and nakiri, and can handle a wide range of cuts. As others have noted, it has fairly flat edge and cuts better with a slicing motion (rather than rocking or up-and-down motion). It's a really good addition to my collection!"

— PAUL C. (5/5)

Solid and Beautiful Little Laser

"Im a huge sucker for Damascus patterning and I’ve been waiting for my chance to pick this one up. Absolutely gorgeous pattern and fantastic F&F. Out of box sharpness was not very good. Needed a bit of fine tuning on a 5k stone to get it to behave like a proper laser. After some tuning it’s a great knife that has an excellent grind."

— Matthew M. (4/5)

Kato Damascus Bunka

"Beautiful knife (more matte in person than the pics make it out to be), feels great in the hand, takes a beautiful edge (though edge out of the box was poor), holds it well. All in all a great knife"

— Jackson R. (5/5)

Absolute joy to use.

"My best looking knife. I haven't retouched the edge since I bought it months ago, and it's still Razor sharp after daily use. A quick honing after each use with the ceramic rod is all it takes to keep the incredible edge given to this knife. The tip is very useful, and it's a needle--fades into nothing in pictures! It's so well made and I will cherish it forever."

— Alejandro C. (5/5)

I love this knife.

"I love this knife. A previous reviewer aptly used the word laser in their review, couldn't be more true. I love the matte Damascus layering."

— Marco R. (5/5)

Work of art

"Bad little Bunka! Razor sharp potential! Maneuverable and balanced. Another beautiful work of art from Yoshimi san!"

— BRETT B. (5/5)

Fantastic blade

"Not just beautiful, but also possessing a phenomenal balance and cutting edge. So happy to have this beauty as part of our collection!"

— Tara B. (5/5)

Beautiful Knife. If you ever

"Beautiful Knife. If you ever wanted a piece of working art in your kitchen this is it."

— Jordan K. (5/5)

Amazing knife, amazing service as

"Amazing knife, amazing service as always with Knifewear."

— Danial T. (5/5)

Such a beautiful knife, beautifuly

"Such a beautiful knife, beautifuly made"

— Jordan D. (5/5)

Q&A

Hey, what is the metal used in the cladding of this blade?
Hey there, the steel on the cladding is a mix of nickel and softer stainless steel, which is layered together to create the Damascus pattern. - Ellie

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