Kitaoka Damascus W#1 Funayuki 180mm

A versatile all round knife, the funayuki style of knife was traditionally used on Japanese fishing boats to prepare meals at sea and perform a range of cleaning and prep jobs. The word funayuki literally means “going on a boat”! These are extremely thin blades and in Japan, typically only executive chefs are permitted to use this style of knife because it can easily chip in less skilled hands.

The Kitaoka Damascus Funayuki is constructed with a core of Hitachi White Paper #1 steel which is covered with 12 layers of a softer carbon steel in a damascus style. It has a traditional Japanese single bevel profile, which is sharpened on one side. The back side is given a slightly concave profile to aid in food release. The single bevel allows for a potentially sharper edge than would be found on a double bevel knife.

Hideo Kitaoka has been hand-forging classic Japanese kitchen knives for over 30 years from his small shop in Takefu Village, Echizen in Fukui Prefecture. He is well known for his beautiful and skillful use of the Suminagashi (Damascus) cladding technique. The 12-layer Damascus cladding protects and strengthens the inner core steel, which is hardened to 63-64 HRC. These blades are capable of taking a screaming sharp edge and holding it through hours of work. This lovely funayuki is finished with a classic octagonal rosewood handle and black pakka wood ferrule.

Blacksmith: Kitaoka

Location: Echizen, Japan

Construction: Hammer Forged, San Mai

Cladding: Carbon Steel Damascus

Edge Steel: White #1

Grind: One-Sided Traditional Grind (see choil shot)

Handle: Rosewood Octagonal

Ferrule: Black Pakka Wood

Engraving: Hand Engraved

Weight: 6.7 oz (190 g)

Edge Length: 172 mm

Total Length: 324 mm

Spine Thickness at Base: 4.8 mm

Blade Height at Base: 45.3 mm

Please note: We only ship Kitaoka knives in the USA