Nippon Knives 20th Anniversary Bunka by Tsutomu Kajiwara

It was exactly 20 years ago when a chance meeting gave birth to an indescribable passion. A passion that grew with knowledge and without which we probably wouldn't want to go to work anymore. And since the issue of Japanese blacksmithing and knife production is so comprehensive, even after twenty years, we humbly realize that we are only at the beginning of a long journey. Well, we are happy that even in this case, the journey is the destination.

We intend to celebrate our anniversary in the way we have been operating since the beginning - discreetly and quietly. Of course, we do not forget those who give meaning to our existence. Therefore, we considered well in advance how we would please our loyal customers. Actually, it wasn't a complicated puzzle at all. After all, who wouldn't want to have a piece of unadulterated Japan at home?

The idea was born quickly and painlessly. It must be the purest concentrate of Japanese knife art. Something like a precious whisky that is not American but Scottish, not blended but malt, not pure malt but single malt. And that's not all. We are talking about a single cask, that is, a numbered concrete cask. Add a fine Speyside distillery and you couldn't ask for more. That is, except for the parallel in Japanese realities.

We started the preparation a year ahead of time, which turned out to be a lucky idea. First we designed a knife. The shape of the blade, type of edge, construction and materials had to meet 3 criteria: authenticity, functionality and aesthetic value. Without any doubts, the choice fell on the Bunka type. Bunka or Kengata is one of the most typical Japanese blades and also among the most versatile. The construction was clear before we could even think about it. Of course, Wa Bocho, that is half tang in the Japanese style. An octagonal handle cannot be missing among the "must have" items. And the materials? No stainless steel or modern powder or high-speed steels. But the best of proven traditional substances, whether we are talking about the blade, the ferrule or the handle.

The design, material composition and the fact that it must be a hand-forged knife were on the table. Just a "little thing" is missing. Who will fulfill our dream? Only top destinations for hand forging such as Takefu, Sakai, Miki and Tosa came into consideration. Unfortunately, strict anti-pandemic measures in Japan did not allow us to make a final decision on the spot. Finally, we completed the evaluation of individual alternatives with a blow for sure. It will be Tsutomu Kajiwara from Tosa. Many years of experience with his work played in his favor, because experimenting with the symbol of our 20th anniversary was the last thing we wanted. Thanks to our friendly relations, the master accepted the order and a stone fell from our hearts. As it turned out later, we met the proverbial luck in misfortune. Shortly after Kajiwara-san forged our 20 blades, he suffered a health problem that took him out of work. Taking his age and the seriousness of his health problem, we fear that our series of anniversary knives are the last to leave the master's hands. We will honestly be happy to exchange this exclusive status for improving the master's health and returning him to the forge.

Nippon Knives 20th Anniversary Bunka is the full name of our anniversary knife. This is a hand-forged limited series of only 20 knives that were made by master Tsutomu Kajiwara for a special order. The San Mai blade is 170mm and its core is forged from blue paper steel Aogami II. This Yasuki from Hitachi Metals is known for its hardness /63 HRC/, but above all for its ability to grind perfectly on high-quality grinding stones. Of course, we chose Hamaguri as the edge grinding, which combines robustness and sharpness. It is no coincidence that knife manufacturers were inspired by traditional Japanese swords. The blade is in the Kurouchi version, i.e. unpolished with inherent Hamon. Convex Shinogi makes up about 45% of the blade area. In the back part of the left side of the blade, 2 kanji characters are stamped. Their literal translation is blue inside. This is the Aogami steel designation. In the central part there are hand-engraved 4 kanji characters - the name of our Nippon Knives brand. On the right side of the blade is a laser-applied inscription in Latin Limited Edition and the serial number of each knife.

The ferrule is made of stabilized pakkawood. The octagonal handle made of exotic rosewood comes from a renowned supplier of Sakai blacksmiths. The fact that their demands are beyond standard can be seen in the perfect processing of all details. The handle was installed by experienced craftsmen from Shinsuke Hokiyama.

It is customary for the aforementioned rare whisky to have attractive packaging. The same applies in this case. You will receive the knife itself in a classic cardboard box together with oil for the blades, but you will also find a wooden cassette in the package. It is made of paulownia and decorated with our insignia. Red lining in combination with dark brown magnetic foil creates a dynamic whole completed with a plaque of our logo. We put a short description of the knife on a gold cardboard in the cassette. This is in case you decide to please someone else with this limited piece.

We present to you a limited series of twenty knives, where each piece is an unmistakable original.

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