"This is going to be a new daily driver for me. Love the heft and added bump mid-way down the blade. Makes food just glide off the sides. Sliced a few onions since it arrived, and it is already picking up a beautiful blue-gray patina. Do yourself a favor and get one of these awesome knives from Manaka-san."
Kisuke Manaka Shirogami 2 Honwarikomi Kurouchi Tsuchime Bunka 165mm
Kisuke Manaka Shirogami 2 Honwarikomi Kurouchi Tsuchime Bunka 165mm
£10 Shipping on orders over £150 to the UK.
About Manaka Hamono - Kisuke Manaka is a relatively young, 5th generation, blacksmith from Kasukabe, Saitama prefecture, in 2025 he moved to Sanjo Tsubame, a hotspot for blacksmithing in Japan. He began making knives from scratch about 10 years ago, with nothing but a workshop full of equipment and no mentor. He is completely self-taught, yet he mastered techniques to forge-weld steels in house, even forge welding stainless steel which is no easy task.
Now he forge-welds everything in house, from hard carbon steel clad with soft steel, stainless steel clad with stainless, and carbon steel clad with stainless steel. The Shirogami #2 steel used in these knives is forge-welded in house by Manaka-san. This is a very traditional steel that can achieve incredible sharpness and has great edge retention, a favourite of more traditional blacksmiths.
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 |
High
Rust Prone ⓘ
This knife can rust, click to learn more.
|
| Blade Length | | |
| Blade Height | |
| Thickness | 3.5 mm |
| Weight | |
| Steel Type | |
| Rockwell Hardness | 62 - 63 |
| Edge/Bevel | |
| Handle | Wa (Japanese) Handle - Octagon Walnut Black Pakkawood Collar |
| Blacksmith | Kisuke Manaka |
| Made in | Tsubame-Sanjo, Niigata, Japan |
A note about measurements: Handmade Japanese knives can vary in their dimensions, so these measurements are only an example.
Knife Care
Knife Care
Shipping and Returns
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: 5.0 / 5 from 5 reviews.
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Reviews
An amazing knife
"This was my first Japanese knife and although I've worked with other carbon steel blades this one made cooking an absolute joy!"
Beautiful knives!
"The knives are a work of art and will be hung in my kitchen when not being used!"
Awesome knife, super sharp and
"Awesome knife, super sharp and feels great when using it."
Great knife
"I went into Knifewear not knowing a thing about chefs knives. I was lucky and had Kelly as my sales dude. I learned simple things like how to properly hold and use a knife effectively. I purchased my chef knife,petty knife and cutting board. Both knives are great! Sharp as hell, only one visit to the ER(don't drink while driving peppers). I would highly recommend both Knifewear and the Shirogami chefs knife."