Moritaka's Special Bunka

This is my personal favorite. I have handled many knives, and I am simply in love with Moritaka's treatment of Aogami Super Steel. The extra height on this bunka allows for knuckle clearance and a very special grind—getting thin behind the edge as well as providing good food release. To maintain the exceptional sharpness of this knife, consider adding our professional sharpening service for optimal edge retention.

Much like Moritaka's Nakiri knife, it achieves god-like status for push cutting, although the Nakiri is very flat; this has a very slight belly. If you prefer more belly, go for the standard-sized bunka.

You can achieve extreme edge retention with this knife if you pair it with a soft cutting board like a Hasegawa; it will hold an edge for 6 - 12 months depending on use. For occasional touch-ups, use one of our leather strops loaded with 2-micron Strop Shots. This combination brings back an edge with some bite in only a few passes.

Moritaka Hamono pushes the treatment of Aogami Super steel to the max to achieve outstanding edge retention. This does make it a bit more prone to chipping with misuse. It is not designed for side-to-side or twisting motions, and do not cut anything with it that is harder than you can chew.

Wipe the knife before setting it down to keep rust off the iron cladding. The Aogami Super takes a lovely dark patina over time.

Product Details

Brand: Moritaka Hamono

Steel: Aogami Super Steel

HRC: ~65

Style: Bunka

Blade Length: 180mm

Handle: Walnut

Weight: 153g

Thickness mid spine: 1.3mm

Blade height at heel: 56mm

Sharpening angle: 12 degrees each side

Watch our customer's unboxing video!