Hand Forged Damascus Hori Hori 2019
Hand Forged by Masashi

When we asked Masashi san, over a bottle of local Niigata sake (Masashi, the blacksmith, is a man of many talents - did you know he not only plays golf at semi-pro level, but is also a qualified children’s ski instructor, for example? His most appealing talents, however, become evident after-hours, and they tend to manifest themselves in the Izakaya and drinking dens of downtown Sanjo) so when we asked him, would he consider another run of his now-legendary hand forged Hori Hori, there is no real record of what was agreed. This was some time ago now, possibly in the winter of 2017 (notable for its heavy snow in Niigata) or maybe even earlier that year, in the sweltering heat of (what every Japanese will tell you, every year) was a spectacularly hot summer, so imagine our surprise - disbelief even - when we got the message earlier this year, tagged on to the end of more trivial matters, ‘and oh by the way, your Hori Hori are ready soon’.

And here they are. Hand forged damascus clad SLD blades with Quince burl handles (that’s Pseudocydonia sinensis to you and me) and ironwood hilts, sheathed in heavy duty, hand-stitched holsters (hand stitched by none other than Mr Kotoh, our friendly pocket knife maker, who often finds himself roped in for special projects such as this.) Truly, truly delightful.

We’re never entirely sure who’s going to use these - they’ll work very well indeed for their intended purpose (digging, planting, weeding and general subterranean rummaging) but also make rather a splendid gift if you happen to need a ceremonial Hori Hori or want to make a lasting impression.

• 215g
• SLD Steel
• Quince Burr handles
• Made in Japan