Japanese Marking Knife, Hand-Forged in Miki

The Ikeuchi Hamono workshop has been at work since 1953 in Miki, in the part of Japan that has been home to the country's best blade smiths for centuries. This marking knife is forged by hand and has no handle, in the tradition of precision tools that Japanese joiners, cabinetmakers and luthiers kept to themselves for a long time.

The blade is laminated steel. A hard steel core holds the edge over time, while a softer steel jacket takes up stress without making the whole blade brittle. The hollow-ground back leaves less surface to work on when you sharpen, so touching up the edge is quick and the tool lasts through years of regular use.

There are two geometries. The single bevel has a flat back that sits right against the rule, giving a clean line on one side. The double bevel works equally well in the right or left hand and marks on both sides. Each version comes in blade widths of 12, 15 or 18 mm (about 1/2, 5/8 or 3/4 in), depending on the work and the size of the pieces.