Thread: higonokami - traditional japanese pocket knife

Originally Posted by Pyment

Artisanal, then?

Yes looks very effective, the real hand made layered steel is pretty expensive. Many makers use premade which does not take away from the visual effect at all.

Hi, You can order such a knife from Lee Valley (see link below) for 22.50$ canadian. I have one and made a mission of hone it to razor shapr and I'm about 95% there.

Japanese Carpenter's Knife - Lee Valley Tools

Svord makes a nice looking friction folder as well, if you havn't seen them

I think the nicest one I have seen in person was a semi-custom/production one that was made from ATS-34 stainless steel. It was priced at 80,000 yen. I have considered it every time I go to that knife shop.

Well, this thread just cost me $4. I was at the hardware store and, lo and behold, Higonokami. For 408 yen. Not in the paper box, but the plastic sleeve was clearly labeled, as is the handle. So now I have two...

4 bucks. You can't complain really.

How sturdy are they?

Originally Posted by gregs656

4 bucks. You can't complain really.

How sturdy are they?

Fairly sturdy. Oddly enough, my NON Higonokami one feels a touch sturdier in the handle, but the pins are well done, and the blade is even. It's a little rough on the spine, but I guess that's pretty common with these.

I might have a new bug...gonna send one to my nephew, he collects pocket knives...

Svord makes a nice looking friction folder as well, if you havn't seen them



I just looked at the Svords and I'll probably be getting one. Good looking tool and several ebayers sell them for $20 - $25 with free freight.

Zacsdaddy

I have a couple of peasants and they are indeed great knives. I put a nick near the heel of one of mine, I need to sort that. Need to make it a bit shorter as well.

Fairly study sounds good enough for what I want it for. That's a nice thought, to send one to your nephew.

I would quite like a Douk-Douk as well, they seem a little more tricky to come by.

This thread sent me on the prowl on my lunch hour today, to the nearby knife shops to look at the higo knives. I visited two shops and both had the custom ats-34 one that I mentioned earlier in the thread. BUT one shop had a Machida Isshi made one. It is a white laminated stainless steel (from what I understand) in Japanese for those who benefit from the original wording 白鋼　Ｖ金10号多層鋼　(roughly translates as V-10 multi-layered white steel). The blade cutting edge length is 52mm long.

The Machida one was a little small for my taste but would be perfect for a daily pocket knife.