【Japanese Knife】The blade easily glides in! Specialized sharpness for “shaving” that thrills with the Japanese sword handle wrapping

Holding a twig in front of the campfire, I slide the knife to shave it thin. As the curled wood shavings gradually stack up, my heart calms down, and I start to feel joy even before making the fire. There exists a “Japanese Knife” born to savor such time spent “shaving.”

Based on a carving knife, this single-edged design is specialized for "shaving"

I was thrilled by the Japanese knife "HESHIKIRI-MARU" that is focused on "shaving." Its base is the traditional Japanese tool "carving knife." Many of the Western knives used in camping are double-edged and can be used multifunctionally without regard to handedness, but this one features the same single-edged design as a Japanese knife used for slicing sashimi. The blade bites into the wood at a shallow angle, making it easy for even those unfamiliar with knives to shave the wood thinly.

Source: Makuake.

There are also clever considerations in the direction of the blade. It is designed so that when a line is drawn horizontally from the center of gravity of the handle, the blade angle becomes 20 degrees, naturally placing the blade at an angle of 25-30 degrees when pressed against the wood. Simply by pushing your arm straight out, the blade will run diagonally while "shaving off" the wood. The sensation of finishing each feather stick's strands thinly and finely with a light touch makes the act of moving your hands a delightful experience.

Source: Makuake.

When you push and shave with your thumb on the spine, the force tends to concentrate on the pad of your finger with a regular flat spine. Therefore, the "HESHIKIRI-MARU" has a curve that matches the angle of the pad of your finger, allowing your thumb to naturally align when you grip it. The blade thickness is 2mm, and since the force is distributed, you can move your hand easily even when shaving hard wood. The curve of the spine also fits the first joint of the index finger, and when cutting paper or leather, the progress of the blade is directly communicated from the fingertips.

The blade is crafted by Yoshiharu Hamono, which boasts the number one market share for children’s carving knives in Seki City, Gifu Prefecture, known as the town of blades. This workshop has been making tools specifically for "wood shaving." The material is SK-Ⅴ carbon steel, which maintains sharpness and is easy to sharpen. The quenching by Seki craftsmen adjusts the hardness to HRC58~60, balancing sharpness, resistance to deterioration, and ease of sharpening. Since it is a single-edged knife, you only need to sharpen one side with a whetstone, allowing for the enjoyment of refining the sharpness with your own hands.

Source: Makuake.

The handle features pure cotton wrapping done by a cord wrapper who won a silver award at the Sword Fitting Crafts Exhibition. In Japanese swords, the cord is wrapped over the uneven texture of rayskin, but here, the handle surface is substituted with a laser-engraved texture. The combination of traditional craftsmanship and modern technology provides a grip that makes you feel dignified every time you hold it. Since the cord wrapping is done by hand, they can only make about 5 to 6 handles per day.

A genuine leather sheath made at a leather workshop in Asakusa is included, and there is also a lanyard hole that accommodates 3 to 4mm paracord in the handle. Combined with a carabiner, it can be hung from a belt loop or backpack, making it a companion for bushcraft or cutlery making. It can be used for everyday tasks, including sharpening pencils for sketching, deburring and chamfering plastic models, and opening delivered packages. The blade length is 5.3cm, with options available for both right-handed and left-handed users, so you can choose the perfect one for yourself and enjoy using it.

Source: Makuake.

Product Name: Japanese Knife HESHIKIRI-MARU
Price: 19,800 yen, Special Price: 16,830 yen and up
Size: Total Length: 18.5 × Maximum Width 3.5 × Thickness 1.5 cm, Blade Length: 5.3 cm, Blade Thickness: 2.1 mm
Weight: Approximately 65 g
Material: Blade: SK-V Carbon Steel (HRC 58-60), Handle Wrap: Pure Cotton Handle Thread, Sheath: Genuine Leather

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