• Yukihiro Sakai "Hinokuni" Shiroichi Bunka 180mm from Yukihiro Sakai
  • Yukihiro Sakai "Hinokuni" Shiroichi Bunka 180mm from Yukihiro Sakai
  • Yukihiro Sakai "Hinokuni" Shiroichi Bunka 180mm from Yukihiro Sakai
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Yukihiro Sakai ”Hinokuni" Shiroichi Bunka 180mm

Yukihiro Sakai ”Hinokuni" Shiroichi Bunka 180mm

$237.00 CAD
$237.00 CAD
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About the shape - Santoku means 'Three Virtues' or 'To solve Three Problems'. The three virtues are meat, fish and vegetables, or slicing, dicing and mincing depending on your interpretation. This means that the Santoku is an all-around knife, suitable for the amateur home cook and the professional chef alike. The heigh means good clearance for big hands, while the relatively short blade can be wielded by anyone.

About Hinokuni Sakai - Yukihiro Sakai-san was apprenticed under Nishida-san in Kumamoto, a staunch traditionalist who strictly forge-welds his steel in-house. Sakai-san has learned everything from Nishida-san and continues the traditions of his sensei. Sakai-san recently started his own workshop in Kumamoto making his own knives.

Now he forge-welds everything in house, from hard carbon steel clad with soft steel, and the Shirogami #1 steel used in these knives is forge-welded in house by Sakai-san. This is a very traditional steel that can achieve incredible sharpness and has great edge retention, a favourite of more traditional blacksmiths.

Hinokuni means 'Country of Flame', an oldschool nickname for Kumamoto Prefecturedue to the famous local volcano Mt. Aso.

Shape Bunka
Also know as? You could also call it a Santoku, depending on what part of Japan you are in.
Maintenance Level High
Rust Prone ⓘ This knife can rust, click to learn more.
Blade Length 180 mm |
Blade Height 50.1 mm
Thickness 3.8 mm / 1.5 mm
ⓘAbove the Heel / 1cm from the tip.
Weight 187 g
Steel Type Shirogami #1 (White Carbon Steel) With Carbon Steel Cladding
Rockwell Hardness 62 - 64
Edge/Bevel Double (50/50)
Handle Wa (Japanese) Handle - Oval Cherrywood Black Pakkawood Collar
Blacksmith Yukihiro Sakai
Made in Kumamoto, Japan

A note about measurements: Knife edge length is shorter than stated, as Sakai knives are measured from the front of the handle to the tip. Additionally, some knives feature a small 'machi' gap between the handle and blade.


A NOTE ABOUT RUST  

Carbon steel is an awesome material to make knives out of. It’s easy to get sharp and stays sharp a very long time. But this comes with a trade-off; It will rust if you let it. To  avoid “bad” rust (orange rust) Wipe the knife dry with a dry cloth after use. Over time, the  blade will begin to protect itself with an oxide layer (grey to dark grey “good” rust),  this will slow the reaction time but not inhibit the rust entirely. Maintain the good  habit of drying off your knife.  

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 mineral oil or beeswax.  

• If you see orange rust, remove it. The scrubby side of a sponge can do the trick.  If it’s still not coming off try baking soda and water mixed into a paste or a product  called Barkeeper’s Friend.  

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 travel case. 

• A 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, keep the edge from touching anything else. 


SKU: HISKW1KR180BU

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Overall rating: 4.5 / 5 from 10 reviews.

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Reviews

Disappointed

"The knife was much heavier than expected, as well as fairly full. I had to put a new edge on it right out of the box because I couldn't really work with it. The knife is beautiful looking but that's about it. It tarnished immediately after using the first time even though I had immediately rinsed dried and oiled it within 5 minutes of use. I would be alot happier with this knife had I only spent $50-$80 instead of the $200+. Over all I wouldn't recommend this knife knife at its current price"

— Stuart F. (1/5)

Nice knife but

"Nice knife. Great service. Fast shipping. Great buying experience. However, knife was dull when received…. couldn’t even cut a tomato with it."

— Rebecca B. (4/5)

The best of Japanese tradition

"Full disclosure—this is my first carbon steel knife, so I can’t pretend to be an expert. I did a good deal of research and comparisons before deciding on this knife. I knew I wanted a knife with the most basic finish. I tend to modify my knives to an extreme degree, and I only care about cutting performance. I must say, this kid (and in the realm of Japanese craftspersons I am comfortable calling him that) makes a spectacular product. The design, quality, and finish exactly matched with my expectations. This was a relief, as I was only able to handle the Santoku in the shop before placing the order for the Bunka online, something which I am generally reluctant to do. I’ve seen a fair bit of griping in some reviews about his fit and finish, the sharpness OOB, the handle, etc. All of these are completely missing the point, in my opinion. What he gives you (at a ridiculously generous price point) is a giant slab of old school, hand-forged White#1 to play around with. You think the grind is too thick? (it is, clearly)—grind away to your heart’s content and shape it just how you like it. He understands that this is what discerning knife users are going to do anyway. In my current view having excessive metal definitely beats having too little. The carbon steel grinds away so easily that you can thin it massively in just a few minutes. So much better than stainless cladding for this! I even took the liberty of cutting a curve into the heel, and it’s much more ergonomic this way (from my perspective). This knife is such a huge chunk of steel for a Bunka that it’s incredibly versatile for home use—like a slightly smaller Kiritsuke Gyuto. After thinning and sharpening it was the first time I’ve had any of my knives literally GRAB into the cutting board just from its own weight. I finished at 5000 grit, and, again, a first for any of my knives, I feel like I could get an appreciable increase in sharpness by going even higher. Truly awe-inspiring sharpness Furthermore, despite so much griping about his fit and finish, Sakai-san shaped a respectable distal taper in this blade—a bonus at this price point (and a feature that is tricky and laborious to create at home). I can shave ginger paper thin with the tip, which will also be suitable for chiffonading herbs. Further back where she gets chunky you can work on heftier items like onions—further back still we have serious metal, and she certainly won’t shy from squash or yams. I’m going to be using this utterly delightful knife for nearly everything in the kitchen (save perhaps lemons) for the foreseeable. What an exceptional chunk of steel!"

— Don P. (5/5)

Hand craftted all the way

"This knife is really well made , it’s very sharp and the craftsmanship is excellent,I definitely am very satisfied with this knife it cuts really fast and the feel is well balanced."

— Rodney J. (5/5)

Scary sharp!!!

"Out of the box it comes amazingly sharp! I love it, definitely becoming a new work horse in my knife kit"

— Christian L. (5/5)

Awesome knife

"Pull this knife out as my station knife great size and hight and handles every task thrown at it stays sharp for a long time and rarely have to hone it on a ceramic"

— Isaiah (5/5)

Balance and feel is perfect

"Balance and feel is perfect adds another to the collection, beautifully executed blade"

— Carlo C. (5/5)

Amazing knife

"This is my fourth knife from Knifewear (not my last) and it is amazing. The look and performance of it were more than I could have hoped for."

— Brian P. (5/5)

Over Satisfied

"Love this knife, razor sharp holds its edge and is a beautiful concept for a finish. Rustic and clean at the same time. I hope Knifewear continues to carry and they keep being made so I can buy every one!"

— Adam S. (5/5)

great knife; style takes a

"great knife; style takes a little getting used but a great addition to my kit! Thank you"

— Barry S. (5/5)

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