100mm Hand-forged Higo

It is with great joy that we add another beautiful creation of Tomita-san's to the JTA range. 

These pocket knives are Tomita-san's reinterpretation of a the classic Japanese folding Higo knife. Instead of using a flat sheet of brass or steel for the handle, Tomita-san has cut and folded his from much thicker stock (approximately 2mm) and hand-hammered a tsuchime finish.

This finish is carried through to the blade as well, but is far from the most striking thing about it.

Tomita-san has chosen to laminate the blade in such a fashion as to create a pronounced joining line between the two steels. It evokes the hamon that is so distinctive on Japanese swords - but is produced in a very different fashion.

The blade and handle are joined with a brass rivet. As the Higo loosens with use over it's lifetime, this rivet can be hammered to re-tighten the folding action of the blade.

The white paper steel (shirogami #2) cutting edge is a low-impurity high-carbon steel that will happily abrade on a sharpening stone and take a fantastic edge.

For best results and longest life, we recommend drying this knife after use. If storing for a period of time, a light coat of oil will prevent patination or oxidisation. Camellia oil is a good choice for this but almost any will do.

Dimensions:
Folded: 147mm (end of handle to tang)
Unfolded: 222mm (end of handle to point)
Handle Length: 110mm
Blade Length: 95mm (point to centre of rivet)