Knife recommendation for home cook

[username]

1)home cook

2)What kind of knife do you want? Bunka

3) What size knife do you want? Between 160mm and 210mm

4)How much do you want to spend? Less than $250

5) Do you prefer all stainless, stainless clad over reactive carbon, or all reactive carbon construction.
I want to get my wife a knife that needs very little maintenance, and keeps an edge. She doesn't need a laser

6)Do you prefer Western or Japanese handle? Japanese

7)What are your main knife/knives now? Henkel

8)Are your knife skills excellent, good, fair? She's good

9)What cutting techniques do you prefer? Are you a rocker, chopper or push/pull cutter? No idea

10)Do you know how to sharpen? I know a guy who does

Please also add any additional pertinent information that can help everyone with suggestions.

I just want to get my wife a badass looking Damascus stainless steel bunka that will last her a lifetime.

[eriksg]

My first thought for this was the Shizu Gen. Badass looks (imo) and meets the requirements, assuming she doesn't dishwash it and that she has some gentle, ideally wood, surfaces to cut on. My friend has one of these and likes it a lot. It is a bunka shape but with a fairly high tip so it is less likely to get stuck in the board if your wife rocks the knife over tall ingredients. Knowing how she cuts would help to determine if that criterion is important.
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/shgenvgbu17.html

Alas it is out of stock in the longer size. The smaller one is available but that's 145mm and below your threshold and what I'd recommend as an all-around knife. (https://www.chefknivestogo.com/shgenbu14.html)

A reasonable alternative might be this Takayuki. https://www.chefknivestogo.com/tavghawagy21.html
It features the same steels and a similar aesthetic albeit polished instead of dark. The edge profile on this is flatter, and it is not as well suited for rocking.

Another option might be:
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/kovgdabucu.html
Again, same material but a different aesthetic. I don't know much about this maker.