(Can anyone post a picture of) the tapering/tip of a ko-bunka / kiritsuke

I considering a ko-bunka knife. It looks like a practical knife and find the shape very appealing. However, some time ago I had a ko-bunka in my hands and got the impression that it had a pretty wide tip. I could be mistaken, but I had never had a ko-bunka or a kiritsuke in my hands before. So I am looking for some comparison.

Hence my question. If you have a ko-bunka (or a kiritsuke), could you post a picture of it? It would be the nicest if you could post two photograps. One that shows the tapering on the back of the blade from the heel to the tip. And one picture looking straight into the tip, so the all over tip width would be visible. (I mean a sort-of choil shot, but this time from the other side of the knife. A pic as if you were about to stab yourself in the face - sorry for the tasteless comparion.)

And obviously I'd like to know which ko-bunka or kiritsuke it is and how you like it.

Thanks!

Jurgen, I replied to your PM (basically saying thanks and looking forward ), but your inbox is full.

Thanks Mark,
cleared it.

i hope this doesnt come across as rude, but it would greatly improve my sanity if we could refrain from referring to kiritsuke-shaped wa-gyutos as kiritsuke. I cant tell you how many times a day i get people asking me for kiritsuke, when they really mean kiritsuke-shaped wa-gyuto. Sorry for interrupting though.

Sorry Jon, it's just that so many sellers call their kiritsuke-shaped wa-gyutos simply a kiritsuke. As an amateur I only repeat them.

But you can make up for your rudeness by telling us what kiritsuke actually means. And is ko bunka a proper knife name? I think bunka simply means knife in Japanese... And a ko bunka looks like a santoku with a difference spine shape. Or a small kiritsuke. Oops... kiritsuke-shaped wa gyuto .

"Ko" = small. - a small bunka.

I think "bunka" means "cultural" in Japanese? please correct me if i'm wrong!

a kiritsuke is a single bevel knife that combines the functanality of an usuba and yanagiba. They look something like this:





Kiritsuke-shaped wa-gyutos are just gyutos with a kiritsuke-shaped profile (which looks cool).

Bunka does indeed translate to culture, but think of bunka bocho as a type of santoku (or home style knife). People might also call it "futsu no bocho" or, essentially, just a normal home style knife. "ko" just means small. There are many style of bunka bocho, but the one that most people refer to is like that takeda-san does. I should also mention that i dont know the kanji for bunka bocho of the top of my head, so it may be a different bunka that i am thinking. For example 文化(read as bunka) or 分化(also read as bunka). I could probably look it up easily, but i've got to be up super early tomorrow and still have quite a bit to do tonight. Sorry.

I submit we just call them kensaki gyuto and be done with the confusion.

I have a Masakage Koishi (stainless clad AS) 130mm ko-bunka. I find the knife very practical and mostly use it as a 'serving knife' with a small cutting board (also in the photo) on dinner table:



The tip looks like this. There is a distinct change (one could call it a shoulder) along the kurouchi line - from that point the knife gets much thinner.



Is it this what you wanted to see?

Yes, many thanks!! That's exactly what I'd like to see. As I recall it, the one I saw was much thicker behind the edge at the tip. So I wondered whether that was normal.

It also had very little tapering on the back, from the heel to the tip. If you happen to be able to make a pic that show the tapering on the back, I'd be much obliged.

I do not have a spine shot right now, but can make some. My Masakage has some distal taper from the handle to about 1/2 of the length and rather little afterwards.

So - here is the promised spine shot (I noticed too late that it is somewhat out of focus):

says the physicist who specializes in optics

Now that's funny! :lol2:

JBroida said:

says the physicist who specializes in optics

Click to expand...

I see I have to become more careful with PR stuff

Thanks Matus!