MCUSTA Zanmai Limited Edition Genbu

This luxurious box set is part of a limited and numbered series of only 50 pieces!

Box set No.15 is available

 ‘Genbu 玄武’, Black Tortoise, is one of the four symbols of the Chinese constellation and represents winter and the north. The effigy is a black turtle entwined with a snake and is also depicted in the Kenkun Temple in Kyoto, as it is believed to be one of the four spirits that protect the city.  It also symbolises perfect harmony, the turtle being the yang and the snake the yin, an idea that was transposed into these exceptional knives.

The concept of the Genbu is also reflected in the aesthetics of the knife. The blade has an anti-corrosion coating made of SUS410 steel, embellished with 3D machining of a tortoise shell, and its colour refers specifically to the black tortoise. The eye-catching twelve-sided handle, on the other hand, represents the snake. The innovative resin used is worked in such a way as to resemble the skin of the snake, while the diagonal edges represent the snake enveloping the turtle. 

The extraordinary blade may look at first glance like a traditional San Mai, i.e. a three-layer composition with a hard core and softer outer layers. But the core itself is coreless and made by interweaving two superior VG2 and VG10 steels, produced by the steel masters of Takefu. The beautiful 3D machining of the blade fades into an elegant damask. But the Mcusta company wanted to outdo itself, using PVD, Physical Vapor Deposition, technology for surface treatment. In this process, the solid material is transformed into a gas in a vacuum through physical processes and applied as a very fine layer to the desired object, in our case a blade. The result is not only a black colouring but above all a solid, hard and wear-resistant surface with low friction. The blade is marked in white with the logo, blade type, name and serial number of this limited edition. Number 15 is available in our shop. 

The handle ends in an elegant Silver and Nickel tip with two small decorative pins that echo the larger ones on the resin part.

The paulonia display is inspired by an ancient Japanese chest. The 4 knives are located in as many drawers lined with green velvet, while the warranty and cleaning cloth are in a separate small drawer.

The 4 knives in this special collection are: