KOTAI Bunka Collection Damascus Paring Knife · 3.4 Inch

Damascus Steel Bunka Paring, 3.54'' blade. The paring knife is the most-used knife in a kitchen, right after the chef knife or Gyuto. While almost everything on the cutting board can be done with the chef knife, all precise, off-the-board cutting tasks are performed with the paring knife.

The Damascus Steel Bunka Paring blade is forged with AUS-10 steel, a premium steel that combines a high carbon content for hardness and edge longevity with the optimal amount of chromium to prevent oxidation.

Bunka (文化) means “culture” in Japanese. The name derives from its traditional use in making cultural cuisine in Japanese homes.

Just like the common paring knife, the Damascus steel Bunka paring knife has a small blade with a flat profile; however, their blade tips are shaped very differently. Bunka knives are recognisable from their “reverse Tanto” profile, also called “K-tip”, which makes them more precise than a classic rounded blade.

Japanese precision, Western robustness.

The best of both worlds.

• 100% handmade
• Ultra-sharp Japanese AUS-10 high-carbon stainless steel
• Hidden full tang
• Ebony handle
• Weight: 84g
• Perfectly balanced
• Stainless
• Bamboo Saya (sheath or blade cover) included with each knife
• Lifetime warranty

The signature octagonal handle is made of rare ebony wood, a beautiful dark natural wood famous for its hardness and ability to age well. The Bunka paring knife features a Tsuchime (hammered) blade for aesthetics and performance, and a hidden full tang for optimal balance and durability. Its 1.5 mm thin blade allows precise and sharp cuts, never crushing even the most delicate food to preserve their full flavor.

Besides its aesthetic appeal, the “Tsuchime” (槌目) (hammered) pattern creates tiny pockets of air between the blade and the food being cut. This ancestral Japanese method reduces drag, thus preventing food from sticking to the blade.

Damascus steel is composed of a layer of very hard steel - here AUS-10 - for the cutting edge, surrounded by 66 successive layers of softer steel to protect the core layer.

This type of blade makes it possible to combine the advantages of a very high carbon steel - the layer of AUS-10 at the heart of the blade reaches an HRC hardness of HRC 61 +/- 1 - with the advantages of “softer” steels, such as resistance to impact and corrosion.

The blade thus forged from 67 layers of steel has an exceptional edge retention, while benefiting from increased durability and resistance to chipping.

In addition to these mechanical properties, damascus steel is appreciated for its aesthetic qualities because no damascus blade will have exactly the same patterns; each knife is unique.