Seki Kyuba RYU Bunka Chef’s Knife 21cm
RYU is for those who view cooking as an art form. Its full Damascus pattern isn’t just beautiful – it helps the knife glide through ingredients with ease. The VG10 core ensures exceptional edge retention and corrosion resistance, making your cooking prep a joy. The 33-layer Damascus cladding not only creates a striking visual effect but also adds to the knife’s structural integrity and helps prevent food from sticking to the blade. Whether you’re finely dicing herbs or breaking down a chicken, Seki Kyuba RYU knife will make you feel like you’re dancing in the kitchen.
Lifetime warranty
Every knife we have ever made, covered for life.
Free UK delivery
Included on every order over £90.
100-day returns
Use it for three months. Send it back if it isn't right.
Hand-finished box
Hanko-stamped certificate, 5 yen coin tucked alongside.
Why this knife
The blade, and the thinking behind it.
A chef's knife but a bit like katana: Bunka
The Seki Kyuba RYU Bunka, with its 21cm blade, is the bold all-rounder of the Japanese kitchen. “Bunka” translates loosely to “culture” or “modern”, reflecting its evolution from traditional knife shapes into a versatile tool suited for today’s cooking styles. Its defining feature is the angular, ‘k-tip’ point, which provides precision for fine cuts, scoring, and detailed work, while the long flat edge excels at push-cutting and chopping.
Crafted with a VG10 steel core encased in a 33-layer Damascus construction, the RYU Bunka blends cutting-edge performance with timeless craftsmanship. The VG10 core ensures a razor-sharp, long-lasting edge and easy sharpening, while the Damascus layering adds strength, stain resistance, and a mesmerising pattern. The blade’s hammered finish not only enhances its striking appearance but also reduces food adhesion, making prep work more efficient.
The 21cm length gives ample room for tackling large ingredients, yet the pointed tip adds agility for more intricate cuts. This makes the Bunka a true hybrid — capable of handling vegetables, proteins, and herbs with equal ease.
Available in Mediterranean Blue, Olive Green, and Natural Brown, each RYU Bunka features a handle made from stabilised wood, offering both durability and a comfortable, secure grip.
If you want the versatility of a chef’s knife with added precision from its unique tip design, the Seki Kyuba RYU Bunka is the perfect choice for expanding your kitchen capabilities.
The Blade
The RYU blade embodies the perfect balance of cutting performance, craftsmanship, and elegance. Hand-forged in Seki, Gifu — Japan’s legendary bladesmithing hub — it features a premium VG10 steel core, enveloped in 33 layers of stainless Damascus. This layered cladding not only creates a striking, flowing grain pattern reminiscent of rippling water, but also reinforces the blade’s strength, stability, and resistance to corrosion.
With a Rockwell Hardness rating of 62 HRC, the VG10 core delivers razor-sharp precision and exceptional edge retention, allowing it to glide effortlessly through a wide variety of ingredients. The multi-layer Damascus construction also reduces food adhesion, making prep work smoother and more efficient.
The blade’s full Damascus pattern is enhanced with a subtle hammered finish, which catches the light beautifully while creating tiny air pockets to further minimise sticking. This combination of visual artistry and functional design makes every RYU knife a statement piece in the kitchen.
The Handle
The beautiful handle is made with extremely limited European maple burl dyed in an Natural Brown colour and feature a subtle copper ring under the oak bog wood kakumaki (collar of the handle). The wood has to be dried for two years before it undergoes the process of stabilisation. This ensures the wood is completely waterproof to avoid bacteria growth and is able to last generations.
The blade’s kakumaki (collar) is made with oak bog wood. A wood ranging from 2,500 to 5,000 years in age. Its age and living conditions give it a unique character and rich natural colour variation determined by its age. Giving you a knife with a rich history.
The stabilised premium-cut maple burl is shaped into an octagonal shaped ambidextrous handle to give you a firm grip on the knife. Not only are the handles aesthetically pleasing, they are also perfectly balanced, light and comfortable. This allows for maximum precision and more controlled movements during use.
No two handle colours or patterns are ever the same as the natural properties of each wood block are unique and will absorb the colour dye differently. This will give each knife a beautiful unique look and it can serve as an unforgettable gift.
Because Presentation Matters Just As Much
All our kitchen knives arrive in a handcrafted, minimalist European oak wooden box with a delicate waxed finish. The box is wrapped in our signature Oishya illustration strip featuring the Onna Bugeisha – legendary Japanese female warriors.
Inside, you’ll discover a beautifully designed certificate with two sides, each telling an important part of your knife’s story.
On one side, you’ll find a genuine 5 yen Japanese coin attached with an elegant note. There’s an ancient superstition that giving someone a knife is bad luck because it “cuts” the relationship between giver and recipient. The way around this? Attach a coin of symbolic value to the knife, which the recipient returns as payment.
We chose the 5 yen coin specifically because in Japanese, go en (五円) is a homophone with go-en (御縁), meaning “relationship,” “connection,” and “bond.” By exchanging this coin with the receiver, you’re not just avoiding bad luck – you’re actively strengthening your connection.
The reverse features your knife’s Certificate of Authenticity, documenting genuine Oishya craftsmanship from Japan’s legendary blade-making regions. Each certificate is hand-stamped with our traditional Japanese hanko seal – a mark of authenticity used in Japan for centuries.
The Blacksmith
The spirit of Samurai “Bushido” has never faded away from the history of Japan. The art of greatest sword smiths has been inherited through 780 years till now and it’s present in Japan’s Samurai Knife City, Seki in Gifu Prefecture, where Seki Kyuba knives are made.
High quality katana and kitchen blades are made with Japan’s traditional swordsmith technique and the latest technology, and are famed throughout the world today, especially high end kitchen knives.
Our partnership with one of the most talented and prominent blacksmiths of Japan resulted in Seki Kyuba kitchen knives, that are perfect for those that demand the highest quality. Being part of the Japanese knife community and owning a knife like this is a great honour and pleasure. We welcome you to Kyuba knives world.
The blade
Specifications.
| Weight | 0.7 kg |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 45 × 10 × 6 cm |
| Knife Type | |
| Blade Length | |
| Steel Type | |
| HRC | |
| Knife Bevel | Double |
| Hand Feature | Ambidextrous |
| Handle Waterproof | Yes |
| Made in | Japan |
| Maker | Oishya, Seki Kyuba |
| Knife Handle Material |
The hands that make it
Seki. Seven hundred years of blade-making.
Seki, in Gifu, has been forging blades since the fourteenth century — first samurai swords, then kitchen knives. The workshop we work with forges five of our six lines.
The handle is finished in Małopolska, Poland, by craftsmen who shape every handle by hand: a stabilised maple burl body and a bog oak ferrule — the kakumaki. The blade and handle meet at a single hand-fitted copper ring, set with a soft tap of a wooden mallet, in an octagonal profile.
Care, briefly
Three habits, and it outlasts you.
01.
Hand wash, dry immediately.
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 it keen.
What you receive
In the box.
- The knife, sharpened, oiled, wrapped in cloth.
- A hand-finished box for the knife.
- A Certificate of Authenticity, hand-stamped with the maker's hanko, naming the smith and certifying the blade.
- A 5 yen coin tucked alongside. "Go en" — the Japanese for five yen — is the homophone for luck, connection and bond. Returning the coin to the giver turns the gift-knife 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 when the order ships.
Frequently asked.
Is it dishwasher safe?
How often will I need to sharpen it?
Can I use it to cut meat?
How long does shipping take?
What if it isn't right for my kitchen?
From the people who cook with it
Reviews.
Impressive knife. The single-bevel grind takes some getting used to if you’re coming from Western knives, but once you adapt, the precision is unmatched. Great steel, beautiful finish.
A lovely set with excellent knives. The quality is apparent as soon as you pick them up. Each knife has great edge retention and the handles are comfortable. Delivery took a little longer than expected but the wait was worth it.
A lovely set with excellent knives. The quality is apparent as soon as you pick them up. Each knife has great edge retention and the handles are comfortable. Delivery took a little longer than expected but the wait was worth it.
Beautiful knife with an aggressive edge. The bunka shape was new to me but I’m a convert now. Works brilliantly for my style of cooking. The handle could be slightly longer for my preference, but overall a superb knife.
Beautiful knife with an aggressive edge. The bunka shape was new to me but I’m a convert now. Works brilliantly for my style of cooking. The handle could be slightly longer for my preference, but overall a superb knife.
Good quality sharpening stone that does what it promises. I use it to maintain my Japanese knives every few weeks. The grit is consistent and it doesn’t dish out too quickly. Solid purchase for the price.
This petty knife fills the gap perfectly between my gyuto and a paring knife. Great for fruits, small vegetables, and garnish work. The steel quality is noticeably better than anything in this price range.
This petty knife fills the gap perfectly between my gyuto and a paring knife. Great for fruits, small vegetables, and garnish work. The steel quality is noticeably better than anything in this price range.
This petty knife fills the gap perfectly between my gyuto and a paring knife. Great for fruits, small vegetables, and garnish work. The steel quality is noticeably better than anything in this price range.
This petty knife fills the gap perfectly between my gyuto and a paring knife. Great for fruits, small vegetables, and garnish work. The steel quality is noticeably better than anything in this price range.
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