These beautiful kogatana (literally, small sword) are hand forged by Umeda san, 7th generation blacksmith of Baishinshi, in Sanjo city up in the north of Japan in Niigata prefecture. Similar in use to kiridashi, this is a general purpose knife with a hand-laminated white paper steel blade, suitable for just about everything around the home.
The more we hear about Umeda san, the more we like him - and the more prepared we are to forgive his lengthy lead times. He’s in his 60's and his dad still helps out around the place, fitting and finishing. But the old boy is losing his eyesight and Umeda san has to check his work - but he checks in the evenings, after dad’s gone home, to preserve his dignity.
- 85g
- 231 x 29 x 17mm
- 132mm blades
- Shirogami White Paper Steel
- Magnolia handles
- Made in Japan
- Includes Magnolia Scabbard
Clean and dry thoroughly and wipe with Camellia oil (also sold at Woodland Mod) to prevent rust. Sharpen on a waterstone.
Makes a great letter opener, but does far more than that - and can be used in the home, garden, workshop or kitchen.
Japanese steel is hard and sharp, and can be more brittle than some people are used to - it will chip if abused. Do not cut wire, metal, stone, plastic or any other hard material (even bamboo fibres and some very hard woods, especially knots and burrs, can damage steel edges).
This blade is very sharp and should be handled responsibly only by adults.