8.5" Bunka Knife - Zhen Series (PM8O)

Reach for this when you want push-cut results but you also need the tip to do precise work. The Bunka is a Japanese profile with a reverse-tanto point: the spine drops sharply toward the tip, giving you a fine, aggressive point for scoring fish skin or cutting around seeds, while the flat belly handles push-cut slicing without the tip dragging the board. It's a multi-role blade that doesn't compromise either end.

The Reverse-Tanto Advantage

Most knives taper the spine gently from heel to tip. A Bunka drops the spine steeply in the final third of the blade, which puts the tip much lower relative to the spine. That geometry is what gives it reach into tight cuts: you can score a duck breast, point-cut around a stone, or start a slice right at the tip without lifting your elbow. The flat belly behind it does the push work on zucchini coins, cucumber ribbons, anything where you want the whole edge contacting the board at once.

67-Layer Damascus Over a Hard Core

The core is 10Cr15CoMoV, vacuum heat-treated and deep-frozen to 60-62 HRC, wrapped in 67 layers of Damascus cladding. That hardness is why the tip holds its geometry after months of regular use. Softer steels drift at the point first. The pakka-wood handle sits in a full-tang construction, balanced for both the pinch grip on push cuts and the more controlled fingertip work the Bunka's profile invites.

Specifications

• Blade Steel: 67-layer Damascus with 10Cr15CoMoV core
• Hardness: 60-62 HRC (Vacuum Heat Treated)
• Blade Profile: 8.5-inch Bunka (reverse-tanto tip, push-cut profile, double bevel)
• Handle: Pakka-wood, full-tang
• Use: Push-cut vegetable slicing and precision tip work including scoring, point-cutting around seeds, and starting cuts on fish skin.
• Series: Zhen Series (PM8O)
• Model: PM8O-QFD

Complete Your Set

Pair it with the Zhen 8" Bread Knife (PM8O-MB) for the serrated work this flat-grind blade won't handle, and the Zhen 3.5" Paring Knife (PM8O-SG) for in-hand jobs where 8.5 inches is more blade than you need.