Japanese pocket knives

The „Higonokami” is the archetype of the Japanese pocket knife. The blacksmith Miyamoto is one of the few remaining craftsmen who still largely handcrafts this pocket knife in the third generation today. Until a few decades ago, almost every schoolchild and young man owned such a pocket knife. It was used for all sorts of tasks: from sharpening pencils to wood carving. This very unique type of pocket knife originated towards the end of the 19th century and consists of a three-layered, non-stainless carbon steel blade designed to resemble a Japanese sword. The handle is nothing more than a folded piece of metal, usually brass, and as expected, it lacks any kind of locking mechanism. To open it, one uses the forged lever. The blade is hand-forged and extremely hard, but also somewhat brittle.