Seki Kyuba KATA Knife Set (Bunka Nakiri Petty)

Name: Seki Kyuba KATA Knife Set (Bunka Nakiri Petty)
Rating: 5

Three KATA knives for cooks who like a knife with character: the 18cm Bunka with its reverse-tanto tip for precision, the 18cm Nakiri for vegetables, and the 12cm Petty for detail work. VG10 core, 3-layer, 60–62 HRC, hammered finish, stabilised-wood handles.

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$999

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Lifetime warranty

All three blades, covered for life.

Free UK delivery

Included on every set.

100-day returns

Cook with the whole set. Send it back if it isn’t right.

Hand-finished box

Hanko-stamped certificate, 5 yen coin tucked alongside.

What's in the set

Three knives, chosen to cover a kitchen.

The Only Knives You'll Ever Need

This is a 3-piece Japanese knife set — a Bunka (18cm chef’s knife), a Nakiri (18cm vegetable knife) and a Petty (12cm paring knife) — handcrafted in Seki, Japan. The Bunka (18cm) offers enhanced precision with its reverse-tanto tip, the Nakiri (18cm) excels at vegetable preparation, and the Petty (12cm) handles detailed tasks. It’s a set for the cook who wants unique Japanese blade shapes while covering all the bases in the kitchen. If you prefer a more traditional all-purpose chef’s knife, consider the Santoku, Nakiri, Petty set instead.

The Blades

Each blade is handcrafted in Seki, Gifu around a VG10 high-carbon stainless core with a 3-layer construction — a premium steel prized for edge retention and corrosion resistance. At 60–62 HRC the edges hold through regular use with little upkeep, and the hammered finish reduces food sticking as you cut.

The blades

Shared specifications.

Weight	1.7 kg
Dimensions	45 × 10 × 6 cm
Knife Type	Chef's, Petty, Vegetable Knife
Blade Length	120mm, 180mm
Steel Type	Stainless, VG10: High-Carbon Stainless Steel
HRC	63-64
Knife Bevel	Double
Hand Feature	Ambidextrous
Handle Waterproof	Yes
Made in	Japan
Maker	Oishya, Seki Kyuba
Knife Handle Material	Bog Oak, Stabilised Maple Burl

The hands that make it

Three knives. One workshop. One standard.

Every blade in the KATA set is forged in Seki, Gifu, by the workshop we have worked with for years. Same VG10 steel, same three-layer san-mai construction, same hand-fitted bolster. The set is consistent because the maker is consistent.

Three layers around a VG10 core, hardened to HRC 60-62.

The handles are finished in Małopolska, Poland, by the same craftsmen who finish every Oishya handle: a stabilised maple burl body, a bog oak ferrule (the kakumaki), a hand-fitted copper ring, an octagonal profile. Assembled by hand, one knife at a time.

Meet our craftsmen

The KATA forge — photo to come

Care, briefly

Three knives. Same three habits.

01.

Hand wash all three.

Never the dishwasher. Sixty seconds at the sink, then a soft towel. Water on hard Japanese steel is the only thing that rusts it.

02.

Wood boards only.

Glass, stone and marble are harder than the steel and dull the edge in a week. End-grain hardwood is the right choice — hinoki cypress if you can find it.

03.

Sharpen on a stone.

Never a honing rod — the steel is too hard, it chips the edge. A 1000/6000 whetstone every three or four months keeps all three keen.

What you receive

In the box.

The three knives in your set, each sharpened, oiled and wrapped in cloth.
One hand-finished set box holding all three.
A Certificate of Authenticity, hand-stamped with the maker’s hanko, naming the smith and certifying each blade.
A 5 yen coin tucked alongside the knives. “Go en” — the Japanese for five yen — is the homophone for luck, connection and bond. Returning the coin to the giver turns the gift into a symbolic purchase, neutralising the old superstition that a knife as a gift cuts the bond between giver and receiver.
A care card with the sixty-second wash routine and a link to Knife School.
Your lifetime warranty, registered to you automatically on all three blades when the order ships.

Frequently asked.

Can I swap a knife in the set?

The set is a fixed composition — it's chosen so the three knives cover a kitchen without overlap. If you'd rather build your own combination, buy the individual knives from the line and we'll still pack them together. Just drop us a note with your order.

Are all three knives under the lifetime warranty?

Yes. Every blade in the set is registered to you automatically when the order ships, and each is covered for life against manufacturing defects — the same warranty as a single knife, three times over.

How do I sharpen them?

A 1000/6000 whetstone every three or four months keeps all three keen. Don't use a steel or ceramic honing rod — Japanese steel is too hard and the rod chips the edge. If you'd rather not learn the stone, send the knives back and we'll sharpen them for free, for life — you only cover shipping both ways.

Is gift wrapping included?

The set already arrives in a hand-finished box with the certificate and the 5 yen coin, so it presents as a gift out of the carton. If you'd like a handwritten note added, leave it in the order comments and we'll include it.

How long does shipping take?

UK orders are usually delivered within 2–3 working days, EU and US within 5–9. We ship from our warehouse in Europe.

What if the set isn't right?

You have 100 days to return it. Cook with all three knives, see how they feel. If the set isn't right, send it back for a full refund. No questions, no restocking fee.

From the people who cook with it