Coming soon to Kickstarter
Higonokami Maki-e: Japanese Lacquer Art on a 130-Year Knife
A new collection joining Japan’s 130-year Higonokami folding knife with urushi lacquer and hand-painted maki-e in four designs
Check out the Pre-Launch Page on Kickstarter →
Higonokami Maki-e brings together two of Japan’s traditional crafts. The Higonokami folding knife, made in Miki, Hyogo Prefecture, since 1894, is paired with a sheath of black urushi lacquer, hand-painted with maki-e in four designs: carp, bamboo, temari ball, and fireworks.
Hand-Painted Urushi Maki-e
Each sheath is coated in layer upon layer of urushi lacquer, sanded and polished by hand, then decorated with gold and silver powders using the hira maki-e technique. The four designs were created by a young lacquer artist trained in Kyoto, and each one reveals a different expression as it catches the light.
A 130-Year Blade, in Two Steels
The L Size features a VG10 16-layer Damascus blade, its wave-like pattern making every knife one of a kind. The compact M Size uses Aogami, a traditional Japanese steel known for its sharpness and edge retention. Both are forged and finished by Nagao Kanekoma Manufacturing, the last maker entitled to the Higonokami name.
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