Founded in 1957 in Yoita-cho, Nagaoka City, Niigata Prefecture — a town renowned for Echigo hammered blades (Echigo Uchihamono) — Kawasei Cutlery has been handcrafting carving knives and wood carving chisels for over 65 years. Now in its third generation under the Seigen brand name, the company has evolved from making professional carpenters' tools to creating premium carving tools accessible to hobbyists and craftspeople alike.
Kawasei's tools are forged from Yasuki steel, considered the highest grade of blade steel in Japan. Their carving knives use the rare Aogami Super — the hardest and most abrasion-resistant of the Yasuki steels — delivering exceptional sharpness that lasts. Their wood carving chisels use Shirogami steel, carefully balanced for sharpness and ease of sharpening, making them ideal for intermediate users who maintain their own edges.
The Seigen brand name carries a poetic meaning — named after the Iroha maple whose vivid autumn leaves symbolise clarity and brilliance — expressing the founder's wish that users learn proper technique and enjoy genuinely sharp tools from the very beginning.
Tsurugi Carving 15 Piece Set
Tsurugi Carving 15 Piece Set
Regular price
$1,249.00
Regular price
Sale price
$1,249.00
Tax included.
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Quantity:
Each chisel has white Japanese oak handles and is made with number 2 blue paper steel, laminated with soft iron. Kawasei is a well known blacksmith from Niigata. The chisels are used for medium to heavy work. Therefore, they have no iron hoop and cannot be struck with a steel hammer.
They can, however, definitely be hit with a timber mallet. These chisels are used for light finishing work involving printmaking, traditional mass carving in Japan e.g. relief carving, print block. They can also be used for medium sized carving e.g. free standing sculptures as the timber handles and the construction of the chisel can be hit with a wooden mallet.
This 15-piece set contains the following chisels:
- flat 15mm dovetail chisel
- 12mm right hand skew
- 12mm gouge
- 9mm gouge
- 12mm cranked gouge
- 9mm flat dovetail
- 7mm Yari-Kanna
- 4.5mm right hand skew
- 2mm gouge
- 5mm cranked gouge
- 7mm V-parting tool
- 3 mm gouge
- 7mm flat cranked
- 6mm cranked gouge
- 10mm reverse gouge
