Motosuke Nagao Higonokami S55C BlackMotosuke Nagao Higonokami S55C black
This Japanese Higonokami knife is made of Japanese JIS S55C high-carbon steel (non-rustproof). This double-sided sharpened knife is completely hand-forged by the only master smith who can make…€ 14,00
Motosuke Nagao Higonokami S55C ChromeMotosuke Nagao Higonokami S55C Chrome
This Japanese Higonokami knife is made of Japanese JIS S55C high-carbon steel (non-rustproof). This double-sided sharpened knife is completely hand-forged by the only master smith who can…€ 16,00-21%
Motosuke Nagao Higonokami S55C Chrome -Emperor limited edition-Motosuke Nagao Higonokami S55C Chrome, - limited edition -
This Japanese Higonokami knife is made of Japanese JIS S55C high-carbon steel (non-rustproof). This double-sided sharpened knife is completely hand-forged
by the only…€ 19,00 € 15,00
Motosuke Nagao Higonokami SK-5 BlackMotosuke Nagao Higonokami SK-5 Black,
This Japanese Higonokami knife is made of Japanese SK-5 carbon steel (non-stainless). This hard core steel is clamped with a softer steel type for protection. Due to the high hardness of the…€ 19,00
Motosuke Nagao Higo Kogatana - leaf shape -Motosuke Nagao Higo kogatana,
This Japanese kogatana knife has a core of Japanese Aogami #1 "Blue paper" carbon steel (non-stainless). This double-sided sharpened knife is completely hand-forged by the masters Motosuke Nagao. The…€ 39,00
Motosuke Nagao Toumaki kogatanaMotosuke Nagao Toumaki kogatana,
This Japanese Toumaki knife has a core of Japanese Aogami #2 "Blue paper" carbon steel (non-rustproof). This double-sided sharpened knife is completely hand-forged by the masters Motosuke Nagao.…€ 69,00
Tadafusa SHIP-03 Magiri (fishing knife) 135 mmTadafusa SHIP series fishing knife Aogami steel,
Traditional single-sided sharpened 3-layer blade with a core of non-rustproof Aogami #2 steel. The fixed blade is thin and manually sharpened and has no thickenings which makes…€ 59,00
Pocket knives(Higonokami)
The original Higonokami knives are exclusively manufactured in the Kanekoma forge by Motosuke Nagao (Miki), descending from four generations of blacksmiths. Motosuke Nagao is now quite old and his succession is not guaranteed. There is a danger that the real Higonokami knives will disappear. The "Higo" knives with a Samurai figure on the blade are fine knives but formally no "real" Higonokamis.
A Higonokami pocket knife was traditionally used for small jobs in and around the house, to peel an apple, to sharpen pencils, during camping trips, etc. Actually it is the "Opinel" of Japan but made of a superior steel type. The blade is slightly curved and is roughly finished at the top. This reinforces the traditional feeling with this knife. The steel is hand-forged and extremely hard (usually Japanese Aogami "Blue paper steel" with a Rockwell hardness of> 62), the cheaper versions are made of S55C or SK steel (60-61 HRc). These very affordable knives are made under great time pressure in only 1 small smithy and are not perfectly finished from the factory, many people choose to finish the knife at home and polish it so that it gets a personal character.
The most famous model is called "Sada Koma" and is available in four sizes small (S), medium (M), large (L) and extra large (EL). This knife has a brass handle like on the photo on the right. Other handles are for example steel, titanium or silver.
These are the characteristics of a Higonokami knife:
- A handle made of a folded casing of brass, steel, or titanium, stamped with Japanese Kanji characters that shows the name of the maker and the steel type of the blade.
- The presence of a Chikiri (the lever at the end of the blade) The lack of a locking system.
- The fact that the blade completely disappears in the handle when the blade is closed. Note that the length of the blade is traditionally measured from the point to the Chikiri (lever).
- The actual cutting edge is much shorter (65 mm with a 90 mm blade).
Here a nice explanation about the origin of these traditional pocket knives.
We only sell the knives in our range to people aged 18 and older. By ordering a knife with us, you declare to be over 18 years old!