Bunka is a general purpose kitchen knife as Santoku and it used to be just as popular as the Santoku, but has become less commonplace in recent years. With its wider blade, the Bunka knife is suitable for cutting vegetables, while the triangle-shaped tip area is particularly useful when cutting fish and meats.

The main difference between the Santoku and the Bunka Bocho lies in the shape of the blade tip, with the Bunka Bocho having a ‘reverse tanto’ tip / ‘clip point’, rather than a curved Kamagata (“Sickle-shaped”) tip. Apart from this minor difference, the Bunka Hōchō shares the same advantages and disadvantages as the Sanatoku, which were discussed above.

Compared to a Western-style handle, the lightweight traditional Japanese handle of the Bunka knife moves the balance point of the knife further towards the tip, which makes it feel more nimble and precise.