Michihamono is a small maker of carving knives and chisels in Miki City, Hyōgo, Japan's traditional home of blacksmithing and hardware. The company began as a subcontractor making sickles and gradually turned its skills to carving tools, which are now its speciality.
Michihamono tools are used for an unusually wide range of crafts: carving Buddhist statues and Noh masks, Kamakura-bori lacquerware, woodblock printing, seal engraving and even eraser-stamp carving. Its high-speed steel blades are heat-treated by specialist firms, and each tool passes through several craftsmen in turn, from shaping and grinding the blade to fitting the handle and final inspection.
Alongside its carving tools, Michihamono makes the Hiyokko range of sickles and runs CARVY, an antenna shop in Tokyo. Its tools suit both beginners and professional carvers.
EZ Care Carving Tool Sharpening Block
EZ Care Carving Tool Sharpening Block
The most common questions we receive from customers who use carving knives are inevitably about sharpening and maintaining their tools.
EZ Care is a simple sharpener that uses the blade sharpening ability of the included sharpening cloth for general sharpening of carving tool edge. The cloth has been pre-impregnated with sharpening compound that can bring your tools to a bright polish.
This is quite a fine compound - we would suggest something about the #5000 to #8000 range. This means that it will not change the geometry of your tools quickly - an advantage for beginners looking to build their confidence.
It's softness means that even if used imprecisely it will still render results. We do recommend that it be complemented with a coarser sharpening stone down the road for removing chips from more damaged blades.
Kit contains:
- Sharpening cloth - which has abrasive power and can be used as it is without abrasives.
- Wooden plate - A convenient shape with four profiled sides that make it easy to polish not only the front of the blade but also the insides of v- and u-gouges.
