Handmade in Japan Higo no Kami Knife

Posted: July 31, 2014

ADDITIONAL IMAGES

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Purchase Details

Discontinued

Each of these Higo no Kami knives, traditional Japanese non-locking folding blades, are handmade and imported directly from Japan. And if you don't believe me, believe the superb English translation of their product description:

"Attention: Higo no Kami has scratch little bet from the beginning. because all handmade and old meiser made. If you are very sensitive and have not knowledge value, Please choose factory made."

"Old meiser made!" Ha! The Japanese. Word mincers they are not. But I know what you're probably thinking. Higo no Kami = Import + Language barrier + Reasonable pricing. Higo no Kami = Crap. But no! Though I don't own one myself, these knives--also available in smaller and larger sizes--have a ton of reviews on Amazon. And while some point out their flaws and discrepancies, maker Nagaokoma does openly acknolwedge they all "has scratch little bet", and the vast majority of the reviews are positive. Glowing even. People seem very appreciative of the obvious hand craftsmanship and forging labor the "old miser" put into the knives. Some specifics:

"The blade on these things is hand-forged carbon steel. Like hand-forged by a guy, with a hammer, an anvil, and a furnace. Think about that for a second."
"As the product description states, it is hand forged without question. Anyone can look at mine and still see the marks on the thumb piece where it was held by tongs during the forging process, which adds character to the knife."
"This is very sharp blade but has no way to lock it open, the thumb lever to open the blade is too rough and will probably ruin your pant's pocket. I used a file to remove some of the burrs."
"My one problem is that, because the knives ARE handmade, they are not as polished as you would think and will require some sharpening and buffing to make it really beautiful."
"I've bought many of these knives in various configurations and all I can say is that I am so proud to gift these to people who are interested in having a handmade and unique knife that can easily be razor sharp with little effort. Amazing materials and incredible history all in an affordable package."

The Large model here has a Hitachi blue steel blade measuring 9 cm long, and an 11 cm handle.

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