Every essential kitchen knife set deserves a great bread knife, designed to glide effortlessly through all types of bread — from rustic homemade sourdoughs and crusty baguettes to soft, airy loaves fresh from the bakery.

The 230mm (9") blade length is ideal for both home and professional kitchens, providing comfortable, precise control. Thanks to its thin blade profile, a signature feature of all Mcusta knives, it slices cleanly through any loaf with minimal pressure and virtually no crumbling.

Merging centuries of Japanese blacksmithing tradition with cutting-edge modern technology, Mcusta creates knives that deliver unmatched sharpness, balance, and precision. Each blade is laser-cut and hand-finished, achieving superior out-of-the-box sharpness and exceptional long-term performance.

BLADE SHAPE:

The pankiri (bread knife) features a long, narrow blade with sharp, serrated edges designed to effortlessly cut through crusty bread without crushing the soft interior. Its length allows for clean, even slices with a smooth sawing motion, making it perfect not only for bread but also for cakes, pastries, and other baked goods.

The long, narrow blade ensures smooth, continuous slicing motions, while the thin grind minimizes resistance — resulting in clean, precise cuts with minimal effort. This design provides excellent control and a safer, more comfortable cutting experience on both hard and soft textures.

STEEL:

The centerpiece of this knife is Hitachi's Super Blue Steel (Aogami Super), which is the very top quality of traditional Japanese steels. This knife was heat-treated to around 63 HRC. It is a very hard steel, meaning that it will retain a super-fine sharpness for a long time. In addition, due to the high carbon content (1.4-1.5%), the knife is very easy to sharpen. Among the high carbon steels, Aogami Super is also the least sensitive to rust. It also contains 0.4% vanadium as an admixture for micronized metal grains, which gives the steel more toughness. Aogami Super is rated as the most advanced carbon steel. The outer layers are of softer, stainless steel, giving the knife extra rust protection.

HANDLE:

The handle features a Nejire Hachikaku (twisted octagonal) shape crafted from natural Hinoki wood (Japanese cedar), offering a comfortable, stable grip and refined ergonomics. Accented with a decorative mosaic pin and a Nickel Silver bolster, it combines elegance with practical balance and durability.

Each knife is presented in a premium Zanmai Paulownia wood box, reflecting the attention to detail and artistry behind Mcusta’s craftsmanship.

SMITHY:

Mcusta Zanmai has an interesting (and very high tech) philosophy of knife manufacturing. With their 800-year tradition of making knives, they decided to incorporate traditional knife craftsmanship knowledge into their own custom-made machines. Mcusta is the only knife manufacturer who uses laser machines to cut out the knives, instead of stamping the knives out of the steel sheet. Due to this process, their blades are less susceptible to structural stresses in the steel, making them the most innovative and modern knife maker in Japan.

Handles and pins are milled to the precision of 1/1000mm with their high-quality CNC machines. Every knife is then inspected and assembled by hand. The final (sharp) edge is sharpened by Mcusta's team of master craftsmen to get a very good out-of-the-box sharpness.

Fun fact: Mcusta is a made-up word - a combination of Machine and custom!