Higo no Kami 10 Pocket Knife by Nagao Seisakusho, Brass Finish

Know what you're getting into before you buy. This is not designed for ergonomics. The handle is an afterthought, the blade is what you're buying here, and it's a lovely, sharp laminated steel. I did hone the edge out of the box to get it to razor-levels of sharpness, and I smoothed out some rough edges on the handle with a file. The blade doesn't lock at all, not even a slip joint. Definitely not a stabbing knife, and you should be cautious while using, especially with the edge this can hold. It's simplicity is what makes it special though. Definitely designed for function and affordability over form and ergonomics. Great for edc, thin and lightweight, disappears in your pocket. I added a lanyard to make it easier to find. Very happy to have a higonokami in my collection.

If you are looking for a fast action, corrosion resistant single hand opening lock back blade for survival or self defense, then the Higo no Kami will be sure to disappoint you in every way. It's none of those things. It never was intended to be. What it is, is an old Japanese workman's knife. Hand made. By an old dude with a hammer and anvil. Literally. Some old guy in Japan used a forge, heated some steel, and then banged out this knife on his anvil. It is carbon steel, not stainless, so it will rust if not properly taken care of. Ok, it's an old Japanese technology blade- when these were made it was not even in question that men knew how to properly take care of a knife. If you abuse it, it will rust. Take care of it, and it will take care of you. It's a friction folder, meaning there is no locking mechanism other than the friction of the blade in the handle. There is a thumb tab for extra security. But truth be told, I've used this knife fairly regularly over the last 2 months and the fact that there is no lock doesn't seem to be a problem at all- but then again I'm not trying to batten wood or build a log cabin with it. Like any tool, it should be used within the limits of it's design. The blade is three layers, the center is hard steel, the outsides are soft- and yes, you can see a hamon line. The non-cutting parts of the knife are rough, in the Japanese tradition of knife making. If the owner wished for a better finish, then they would do that themselves or take it to a knife polishing specialist. That part is up to you. The important part, the edge, is finished out of the box. Now, with all of that said, it is a very fine blade. Razor sharp and very tough. It's designed to be used for slicing, not stabbing. I ended up carrying this for EDC in my wallet. It seems to fit very nicely right where the wallet folds. It rides very nicely and unnoticeable- I forget I have it, but since it's in my wallet, I always have a blade with me even if I forget my normal EDC. Bottom line, don't buy a $20 old tech Japanese blade when what you really wanted was a $200 Fallkniven- and certainly don't expect it to perform like one. But do buy the Higo no Kami if you want a really groovy old school vibe knife. For the price, it's worth every penny.

The write up said "Japanese blue paper steel" I doubted that, but it sure seems so. Real Japanese craftsmanship, "cheaply" made? Not by my standards. It's made with no emphasis at all on flash, all your money is in the steel and pure function. It's a heavy, well shaped blade of 3 layer steel in a simple but sharp looking brass cover, a simple (but incredibly easy to use) tang on the back of the blade allows easy opening. The blade itself was impeccably shaped, but had fine grinding marks on the surface and some small burrs on the "as forged" tip. I took an hour or so and polished out the blade flats with a Cerax 1000 grit waterstone, and finished with a Chosera 3000 to polish. After that onto Roo leather with green emery. The result is a mirror polish where you can clearly see yourself, and see the different color steels in the blade. The blade easily push cuts thru magazine paper. It holds it's edge very well, even after cutting a couple dozen cardboard boxes into strips. (finally cleaned up my recycle pile and actually enjoyed it) After a little stropping and it edge came right back to magazine slicing sharp, although it was still more than sharp enough for any real work just as it was. Blade tension as it arrived is perfect, I do not know if I was lucky, or if they fuss over that, but it's as tight as you would want it for easy opening. In use, there is no feeling it's going to close on you or do anything unexpected. With time it may loosen up, but a couple of taps on the rivet will fix that. I don't see the lack of a lock as any disadvantage. This is a great piece, I recommend it highly, despite the price. (there are cheaper ones on Amazon, but read the fine print and reviews, they ARE NOT the same, and are often Chinese copies) You most certainly DO get your money's worth IF you are the sort of person that appreciates what this knife is, and enjoy caring for your blades. If you want a effort free cutter with a locking blade, get a good folding carpenters knife and a pack of the carbide coated blades (they're incredible), but if you want something a little different to make work a little more enjoyable, this is it. You'll be happy when you need to pull it out. Once finished out, a little oil and a little stropping once and a while is all that's needed to keep this knife in tip-top shape. Unless you hit a nail or something, it won't need regular stoning. It works well for carving too if you enjoy that sort of thing. It's every bit as good as a Mora 106 with so much more style.... OK, the handle isn't as comfortable for long term carving, but it's good enough for a quick project by the fire. If you DO want to use it for a carving project, a little tape would make the handle more ergo. These are a unique piece, that I'm glad I ran across. I plan on getting a couple for my sons while they are still available.

Simple, sharp, convenient. I liked it.

Pretty nice, some minor scratches on the blade in my example, not the most sharp (had some odd spots which hanged up on paper) but sharpened up real easy with my Spyderco sharpmaker. Would recommend getting brass polish and flitz/steel wool to make it look extra nice but overall makes a great conversation piece. When I show people my collection of inexpensive folders they always gravitate to this one. My german mercator knife is still my favorite knife but this is a nice little beauty. Wouldn't consider it and EDC knife, maybe a really nice letter opener? It is carbon steel so wipe blade at end of day if you used it and keep oiled routinely. I recommend those lens clothes you get with glasses/at the optometrist, they work even better than cotton shirts, ballistol works great as an oil or tuff glide.

I purchased this as part of my growing knife collection. It looked unique, and it truly is. It has a true 'hand crafted' feel to it. And it appears very authentically Japanese. Not polished like what you would expect with other mass-produced folders. Did the paper test and it's razor sharp right out of the box. I could see using it as an occasional EDC. Very light and thin. I don't think the brass handle would be comfortable for any extensive or heavy work; would probably 'bite' into the hand. But for occasional light work it would be fine, and I think that is what it is intended for. The blade does not have a locking mechanism as in usual pocket knives, but there is enough friction in the pin joint to hold it in the handle, so no concern. When you 'sheath' the knife in the handle, make sure you allow a bit of it to show at the cutout area in the brass handle. Instructions inside the box are all in Japanese; would have liked an English version. I'm sure if I carry it the knife will easily be a conversation piece. Glad I purchased it.

As the product description states, it is hand forged without question. Anyone can look at mine and still see the marks on the thumb piece where it was held by tongs during the forging process, which adds character to the knife. Out of the box, it was not as sharp as it could be. The brass handle was open very wide at the bottom, which allowed the last inch of the blade to come in contact with it, causing micro-nicks in the blade. Something that I thought was going to be easily fixed, and it was after much trial and error. I've sharpened many different styles of blades made out of different types of steel, both stainless and non, and every time I tried to sharpen it, I would find more micro-nicks in the edge, though it was razor sharp. It wasn't a defect in the forging or the steel, but in my sharpening techniques. Anyone purchasing this knife needs to know that you must be very gentle with it. Unlike other carbon steel knives that I own and use on a regular basis, you cannot put pressure on the blade while sharpening. This caused the micro-nicks in mine each time I attempted to remove them. Basically, allow the edge of the blade to rest on the stone or sharpening pad with only the weight of the knife as you sharpen. To get a real scary sharp edge, I finished it off with a DMT Extra Fine sharpening pad, and I haven't been able to dull it yet. The only con I can find with this knife is I don't want to carry it in my pocket because of fear of damaging it somehow. The blade is so beautiful as is, that I cannot stand the thought of it developing a pantina from use because I do use my pocket knife for everything imaginable. So, in order to remedy this problem I've already decided to order a second, this time a medium. Higo no Kami Dai(sizeM), Nagaokoma, Import from JAPAN

Overall, it’s not a bad knife - it came duller than expected and it didn’t hold an edge (at first) - I think this is because it folds into a cheap brass sheath (probably brass). I bent the sheath so it laid straight (inline) with the knife blade and added a rubber spline (window screen spline) into the handle (sheath). I think this protects the blade a bit so it keeps an edge better. After sharpening, it seems to hold the edge. The metal is raw (not chrome plated or anything), so it’ll rust. But it’s a simple knife with a low profile, so I’m happy with it. It will cut. I don’t know that I agree with the “authenticity” of this knife (being some old world Japanese design) because it does feel cheap, but 15 minutes of googling made me think it might be a legit Japanese folding knife. I liked the simplicity and low profile (I’m not a fan of thick EDC knives because I work in an office where I don’t need all that). This knife has a small profile and I do like the simplicity of it. It does loosen up with use and it may open in your pocket (it opens in mine) - a Google image search of the knife implies that it’s legitimately made by a Japanese knife company - TBH, I was looking for a cheap knife that I’d probably lose, so genuine Japanese folding knife or cheap Chinese knockoff wasn’t an issue for me. Regardless, I like the knife - I’ve used it daily for a month and have been happy with my purchase.