Produced in Miki by Nagao Komataro, Higonokami knives are non-locking folding pocket knives made of forge-welded billets of soft and hard steel. In the early 1900's, there were 40 companies producing pocket knives under the name Higonokami but in 1910, a trademark was filed and restricted the production of these knives to members of the Miki Knife Manufacturers Association. After the automation and mass production boom of the 1950s, most other members of the association went out of business or began producing other items and so Nagao Komataro was left as the only company able to produce knives under the Higonokami trademark. Since then, Higonokami has made a resurgence among knife enthusiasts as a utility and crafts knife and is also popular among those looking to learn to sharpen or polish.
Specifications
- Brand: Higonokami
- Style: Folding Pocket Knife
- Blade Length: 50mm (2.0") / Full Length: 125mm (4.9")
- Weight: 1.2 oz (33 g)
- Blade Steel Type: Blue (Aogami)
- Special Feature: San mai *
- Handle: Brass Finished
- Bevel Angle Ratio: 50/50
- Comes with a suade case
San mai *
San-mai (lit. three sheets) is a style of manufacture common for Japanese knives. A more practical translation is "three layers", referring to the core hardened steel being jacketed with soft steel. This style of the knife may be seen as being referred to as "clad" or "kasumi", which has some overlap with a similar style of manufacture called Ni-mai or "two layers". Ni-mai is commonly found in single-bevel knives where the soft steel is only on one side of the knife with a small portion spilling over to the other side.
