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Seki Kyuba · Knife line
PAN
A serrated bread knife in 1K6 carbon-rich steel, with our stabilised maple burl handle. Forged in Seki for the loaves that deserve a clean slice. The bread knife for the cook who already owns the rest: the same handle, a serrated edge for crusts.
One knife
The PAN bread knife.
One knife, made for bread: crusty loaves, soft brioche, and tomatoes too.
…
The blade
One smooth pass.
Every tooth of the serrated edge is set by hand in Seki. It goes through a crackling crust and leaves the crumb intact, with the weight of the knife doing the work.
1K6 is a carbon-rich Japanese steel chosen for serrated blades: it holds an edge under the repeated drag of bread cutting. Each blade carries the line name, engraved by hand.
The handle
Made and mounted in Poland.
Every Oishya knife shares the same handle. The body is stabilised maple burl, waterproof and premium-cut, so every handle carries its own grain. The ferrule (kakumaki) is bog oak around 2,500 years old, joined to the burl by a hand-fitted copper ring.
The profile is octagonal and symmetrical, so it sits firmly in either a left or a right hand.
The hands that make it
Seki. Nearly eight hundred years of blade-making.
Seki, in Gifu, has forged blades since the thirteenth century, first swords, then kitchen knives. The workshop we work with there forges five of our six lines.
Meet our craftsmenSpecifications
What’s inside every PAN knife.
Blade
| Steel | 1K6 carbon-rich |
|---|---|
| Construction | Single steel |
| Edge | Hand-set serrated |
| Hardness | HRC 56–57 |
| Forged in | Seki, Japan |
Handle
| Body | Stabilised maple burl, waterproof |
|---|---|
| Ferrule (kakumaki) | Bog oak, around 2,500 years old |
| Ring | Hand-fitted copper |
| Profile | Octagonal, for left or right hand |
| Made and mounted in | Poland |
| Colours | Mediterranean Blue, Natural Brown, Olive Green |
Care. Hand wash and dry straight away. A serrated edge doesn’t need a whetstone; if individual teeth dull, they can be re-set professionally.
From the people who cook with it
Reviews of the PAN line.
The six lines
How PAN compares.
Every line shares the same handle. What changes is the steel, the layers and the finish.
| Line | Steel | Layers | Hardness | Finish | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sakai Kyuba KYU | AUS10 | 46 | HRC 62 | Hammered Damascus | View KYU | |
Seki Kyuba KATA | VG10 | 3 | HRC 60–61 | Hammered | View KATA | |
Seki Kyuba RYU | VG10 | 33 | HRC 60–61 | Damascus | View RYU | |
Seki Kyuba NIJI | 12Cr18MoV | 37, with brass and copper | HRC 60–61 | Shot-blasted rainbow Damascus | View NIJI | |
Seki Kyuba SHIN | SG2 (R2) | 31 | HRC 62–63 | Damascus | View SHIN | |
Seki Kyuba PANThis line | 1K6 | Single steel | HRC 56–57 | Serrated bread knife |
Still deciding?
Answer a few questions and we’ll suggest a knife and a line.





