Higonokami Folding Knife – Blue Paper Steel 120mm

THIS IS WHAT IT'S ADVERTISED TO BE - A GENUINE NAGAO HIGONOKAMI. I've been selectively collecting knives for more than 20 years and I am part Japanese - Samurai Descent. My Higo arrived quickly (5 days to Hawai'i). It was near razor sharp and very nearly perfect. The brass saya has lite scratches, but as much as I'd like to have a hand in perfecting this piece esthetically, I actually like the character it already has. It's proof that my knife was hand forged and finished by the blacksmith, Motosuke Nagao. Suffice it to say. . . I LOVE THIS KNIFE AS IS! In addition to my personal review for this knife, I've decided to add the link of this website here to help others learn why this is such a unique piece. I'll carry my Higonokami for a few days only to "experience" it, then place it in a shadow box frame to be prominently displayed on my wall. History Of The Higonokami: https://www.japaneseknives.eu/c-2495966/information-on-higonokami/#:~:text=The%20higonokami%20knife%20was%20born,Miki%20region%20to%20manufacture%20it Edited from the Website: Motosuke Nagao is the only producer of all Higonokami. Due to the high demand for his knives, he struggles to keep up and out of necessity, finishing touches are minimal. As many may know, the Japanese are very minimalistic - Less Is More. A knife is essentially a BLADE, so the handle is not normally prettied up. It is almost impossible to find one that is perfect and there's often imperfections like scratches on the blade, levers that don’t sit well on the saya, grinds that aren’t symmetrical, file marks, scratched brass and so on… The finish is not perfectly finished, the back of the blade may feel rough and may make the knife unpleasant to grip, but the quality of steel this knife wields alone is nearly unequalled and is worth it's humble price tag. Imagine being the only person producing a product line of hand forged knives to literally the whole world and you may understand why almost no one receives a perfect Higonokami. Now imagine requesting a hand forged custom blade from a well known American knife maker. . . this adds better perspective of just how reasonable Nagao-san's asking price is. Because they are lite duty tools and are so inexpensive (9€ in Japan), it is up to their new owners to add final touches; such as smoothing with sand paper, polishing paste or various Dremel tool bits, filing / grinding out sharp angles and fixing other imperfections if needed, in order to make the knife smoother and more pleasant to the touch. Remember this is a high temperature hand forged high carbon steel and because of this, extreme care is vital. This is a high maintenance piece with limited applications, but Aogami is an incredible knife steel. If used appropriately for specific tasks, it has nearly no equal. This blade is meant for slicing - definitely not for any sort of prying or the cutting of harder things like bone, thick branches or thick rope. Use the Higonokami reasonably and it can last you a lifetime. IMO, suggested uses: meats of a meal, opening boxes / letters, cutting thin cord, pruning green tree branches, etc. The brass saya shines like solid gold when new and has almost a sophisticated appearance, but it goes through a metamorphosis and takes on a patina, giving it more character for a while. This beauty doesn’t last though; it is as ephemeral as the blossoming of the Sakura flowers on Mount Fuji. After a few days, the brass tarnishes / dulls even more. Using a bit of Tsubaki Oil periodically, can postpone this effect. If the brass saya becomes too tarnished for your liking, a polishing paste like Brasso or a Dremel polishing wheel with rouge can easily restore the original shiny gold appearance.

Love the history of these knives. Even though they are crude by modern pocket knife standards they are apparently hand forged. You can see the darkened metal on the top of the blade from the forging process. This is the blue steel version which apparently is named from the paper it comes in. It differs from the white paper steel in that they add chromium and tungsten to harden the blade. Also it is forged with the hard steel sandwiched between to pieces of softer but tougher steel and then they are forge welded together. You can see the layers from the top of the blade. This gives the blade high edge retention because that will be the hard steel, but also makes the blade tougher due to the outer tougher steel layers. These are old school hand have been made this way since the late 1800's. When the Samurai class was eliminated blade makers had to find another way to make money and that's how these got started. So they are very simply put together. Don't expect excellent blade centering or high end machining. They are also not stainless so expect to have to do some simple maintenance such as oiling the blade.

It's definitely a true Higonokami, made by the Nageo family of Japan. Is it as sturdy as a lot of folding knives? No, it's not. It is what it is, a basic peasant utility knife made as low cost as possible without cutting corners. The blade itself is pretty impressive, made from an aogami steel core forge welded between two plates of iron, and tempered to hold a good edge. I was somewhat disappointed that it wasn't very sharp, but I suppose concessions must be made to keep the cost low. The blade takes an amazing edge and will now shave hair. It was also rather stiff to open at first, but that's mostly due to the fire scale left on the tang. it opens a lot easier after working with it for a while. Overall I'm happy I got it.

If you’re looking for an every day carry knife that you use a lot, get a high quality lockback. It’ll be safer and more useful. If you’re looking for a piece of Japanese knife making history that’s a conversation starter as well as blade that can take a razor edge, this is for you. It’s a very basic knife that is constructed like a straight razor so you have to be careful using it. I have the smaller version in my pocket to open packages and letters. Blue paper steel is a very good knife steel that can take a fine edge.

Beautiful knife and piece of history. Appears to be genuine. Razor sharp, not too stiff to open and close one handed, yet sturdy enough to use without worrying about it closing on your hand. There are some “imperfections” as expected with a handmade product, but personally I think they add to the value of owning a one-of-a-kind piece. Any collector would love to have this knife, makes for an amazing gift or purchase for any collection.

I bought this with some reservations. I typically do not buy knives sight unseen, especially knives that are often counterfeited. I'm happy to report the one I received is in fact the real thing and it's an amazing blade. Markers that show me it's authentic. First is the seller's (BEAUTY & YOUTH STORE) store location, which is in Hyogo prefecture same as the Nagao factory. Second was the box it arrived in (traditional yellow, blue, and gold) which also included a card with instructions for care and use inside. All writing translates as it should. Next the markings on both the handle and the blade are accurate and also translate appropriately, though in ALL of these cases I should note that google translate is NOT perfect. For example the blade stamp translates to "aogami interrupt" which is how google translates the markings for "blue paper steel". Google does the same even with factory images so consistency is key with google translate sometimes. Also those markings are clearly made BEFORE griding and sharpening, due to the fact that they are lighter near the spine (muni) which is consistent with how the Nagao Higonokami factory makes blades, also, the thumbpiece (chikiri) is part of the blade and hammered to shape, not welded on later like many copies. Then there's the blade itself. A VERY close look at the blade shows a true sandwiched blade, both on the unfinished area beneath the pivot rivet (kashime) and also along the "clip point" of the blade. It's subtle but it's there. Lastly there's the edge. The edge, as is traditional, is NOT shipped "shaving sharp"... BUT the edge is so WELL finished that it will still pass a "newspaper test" easily. I've had the knife three days and used it in place of my regular pocket knives (which get A LOT of use at work) and it's passed every test (including at work today where I cut over 17 feet of molded foam weather striping cleanly to shave it down to fit a door gap, a task actual razor blades can sometimes struggle with) so far so I haven't felt the need to sharpen it to a razor's edge, though I have ZERO doubt it will take one, and I plan on keeping the 20 degree angle to get the most out of it's performance. Since I've written this glowing review let's be clear about what this knife is in case you don't know. This is not a tactical knife, nor is it a "high end" knife. The edges of the stamped brass that serves as a handle are unfinished, and while not "cutting sharp" will need a bit of rounding out. Also, while mine came just about in the "sweet spot" an adjustment may need to be made in terms of friction, either by tapping the rivet with a hammer on a solid (preferably steel) surface to tighten, or alternately, using a flat tip screwdriver to loosen it slightly. Also, if you're not careful when closing the knife you can easily "bottom out" the edge against the handle which is not good for the blade. I plan on adding a thin bead of silicone caulk inside the handle to prevent this. Also, while I haven't had an issue with it yet, keep in mind the outer layers of the blade are carbon steel, and WILL rust if not kept dry and lightly oiled. These are just things inherent to this style of knife and these knives in particular. Currently, the lighting in my shop, including my bench lighting is out due to a blown breaker but as soon as that's fixed I'll update this review with pictures.

I ordered the 120mm HIGO-11, which has a 120mm brass handle, a 3 layer san mai blade, 3mm thick, 93mm long, slightly curved, with Hitachi Aogami (blue) carbon/tungsten tool steel in the center with a sabre/flat grind. In theory, it is a scandi grind from bevel to edge, but there is a microbevel, probably from stropping. I can't confirm the alloy, but it feels right. I can see the hamon line from the forge welding and grinding of the 3 layers about 6mm down the 10mm grind. Turns out it is apparently Blue #2, not #1 or super, which is a mild disappointment, but no big deal. Given the price, I couldn't have expected super blue, but was hoping for blue #1. The handle is simple, clean, smooth and even. The blade is beautiful, yet slightly rustic, which is exactly what I wanted. The grind is crisp and accurate. It came pretty sharp, but I still did some gentle stropping, matching the microbevel, to get it just right. Don't even bother getting a knife like this if you don't understand the maintenance requirements, design concept limitations and safety issues. The pivot was a little gritty, but I cleaned, cleaned, cleaned with WD40 and break free, and finally lubed with jojoba oil. It is smooth and firm now. The blade got a light coat of fixin' wax (beeswax, mineral oil, jojoba oil) to prevent rust. Petroleum jelly would also work if you don't like making your own knife wax. It was a tiny bit off center in the closed position, but the brass handle is easy to tune if you're careful. It came in the yellow/gold/blue little box with kanji description on the outside and instructions on the inside. They translate well with the camera feature of Google Translate. The friction is good in the closed position and very good in the open position. The tang lever is good and stops accurately. I don't like the blade hitting metal when it is closed, even though it is just brass, so I pressed a little bamboo into the bottom of the brass handle and oiled the bamboo, so the blade never hits metal. A shaved piece of bamboo skewer for kabob cooking works well. There is also kanji stamped into the brass handle. It seems to match the authentic build with "registered trademark", "Higonokami" and the master's Kanekoma L shaped mark. I will use it some, out of respect for the design, but not heavily. It will not be handed to anyone except sensible knife nuts. I would recommend a tight leather or velvet sheath/pouch for pocket carry since it is a simple friction folder with no detent. Ending up in the emergency room because of your new knife is no fun. If you choose leather, then oil or grease the inside with something like sword oil, camellia oil, jojoba oil, mineral oil or petroleum jelly to avoid rust from sheath contact points. Wiping off excess oil/grease is one of the joys of having traditional knives. This is a 3.6" blade, which may be a little long for some people. Many will prefer the medium sized 90mm build, which has a 75mm (3 inch) blade. It is very hard steel, so don't side load it - it will chip. Slicing only.

Fun and handy friction folder for EDC. It's lightweight, slim, and so easy to just slip in your pocket to await the everyday cutting tasks that come up. It's also a great conversation starter as it's the real deal, Japanese made hegonokami with the kanji etched into the San Mai carbon steel blade. It comes dry, so make sure to oil it up to prevent rust. Mine came perfectly centered and razor sharp. Retention is great and it will not open up unless you intentionally open it.