Japanese Chisels - Oire Nomi

The blades of Japanese chisels are usually forge-welded from two layers: a soft backing layer that transitions into the handle and a hard cutting layer.

The mirror side of Japanese chisels is hollow-ground to facilitate honing. It is often asked what to do with the chisel when it has been ground down to the point that the hollow grind touches the edge. I can reassure you: By regularly honing the mirror side (which is the flat back), the hollow grind gradually and continuously moves backward, allowing you to maintain your straight edge. So you can forget this concern. On the contrary, many users find that excessive honing or even grinding of the mirror side increases the flat part between the edge and the beginning of the hollow grind.

In Japan, the chisel is usually struck with a steel hammer, but you may also use the familiar wooden mallet. All chisels offered on this page have a length of approximately 22 - 23 cm (8-13/16 - 9 in.).

The forges in Japan that produce chisels are very small, often one-man operations. From the inside, it has more the feel of a village forge. At first, it is hard to imagine that the best chisels in the world come from such low-tech operations. But they indeed do; the skill and experience of the blacksmith are crucial.