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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.

Steel1K6, carbon-rich
EdgeHand-set serrated
HardnessHRC 56–57
Forged inSeki, Japan
Seki Kyuba PAN.

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.

Ozawa San at the sharpening stone, Seki.

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 craftsmen

Specifications

What’s inside every PAN knife.

Blade

Steel1K6 carbon-rich
ConstructionSingle steel
EdgeHand-set serrated
HardnessHRC 56–57
Forged inSeki, Japan

Handle

BodyStabilised maple burl, waterproof
Ferrule (kakumaki)Bog oak, around 2,500 years old
RingHand-fitted copper
ProfileOctagonal, for left or right hand
Made and mounted inPoland
ColoursMediterranean 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.

The six lines

How PAN compares.

Every line shares the same handle. What changes is the steel, the layers and the finish.

LineSteelLayersHardnessFinishPrice
Sakai Kyuba KYUSakai Kyuba KYUAUS1046HRC 62Hammered DamascusView KYU
Seki Kyuba KATASeki Kyuba KATAVG103HRC 60–61HammeredView KATA
Seki Kyuba RYUSeki Kyuba RYUVG1033HRC 60–61DamascusView RYU
Seki Kyuba NIJISeki Kyuba NIJI12Cr18MoV37, with brass and copperHRC 60–61Shot-blasted rainbow DamascusView NIJI
Seki Kyuba SHINSeki Kyuba SHINSG2 (R2)31HRC 62–63DamascusView SHIN
Seki Kyuba PANSeki Kyuba PANThis line1K6Single steelHRC 56–57Serrated bread knife

Still deciding?

Answer a few questions and we’ll suggest a knife and a line.