The Last Higonokami Knives | Knife talk #3 

How about some extra info : Aogami Super Blue steel is produced exclusively by Hitachi Metals for tools and knives. In Hitachi’s plant in the Shimane Prefecture, Japan, they use high quality iron-sand found only in this region. Shimane Prefecture sand has been used and preferred for making Japanese cutlery since ancient times. Hitachi creates and offers different grades of steels including white steels and blue steels. The steel isn’t blue or white but the designation refers to the color of the paper the raw steel is wrapped in when delivered to Hitachi. It is common practice for Japanese steels to be named and referred to; based on what colored packaging the raw steel arrives to the maker. Super Blue is the highest grade blue steel and contains up to 1-1/2% carbon for wear resistance and chrome to elevate hardness and improve edge holding and corrosion resistance. Steel smiths agree Super Blue is easier to heat-treat and work with than some steels but is more wear resistant and harder to hand grind.

Mitsuo Nagao took over the Higonokami production. He is now engaged in developing a new Higonokami

I come back to watch this video every now and then. Love my higonokami knives. In case anyone was wondering the company has been handed over to the 5th nagao. Mitsuo Nagau.

if you like the ''higos'' you should maybe take a look on the ''doukdouk-'' and the ''otter-mercator-'' knifes. they also have a nice story and are all built the same way.

I have one Higonokami and I really like it. Very traditional, you can feel the history in your hands. It's very useful with the office tasks. Good video folks!

great vid. im japanese. most of the elder age people used to use them as you told. they could understand all of the basics of knife. especially, because of the simple construction without locking mechanism, they properly learned how to use knives(blades) safely.

Just bought one for my father and one for myself 50$ for the two... You cant beat it especially with the history behind them its a great collectable. You two are great, glad to see you guys are doing well on RU-vid keep up the great work!

Beautiful review. A special knife with rich history and now a proper review with the respect earned by the master craftsman. Thanks guys.

After watching this i just bought one of my own.

Micky you look high all the time 😂😂,good review guys 🔪✌️️

I bought mine for the same reasons. looks and history. I've had it for more than 2 years now and I still take it out of the box and look at it (maybe shave some arm hair). really cool looking folder and really sharp when you buy it.

I really enjoyed this video, it's great to see different cultures appreciating each other. I'm half Japanese and have always wanted one of those knives, now you guys have inspired me to get one! Keep up the good work!!

There's a fixed blade version of the Higonokami that you guys might want to check out. Might not be for bushcraft stuff though as I believe all the Higos were primarily used for woodworking.

Those are some nice examples of the knife, I've always really liked it. It's got a certain charm to it.

You have good information about the history of knives, and this is good for the follow-up and the early years

They WILL become loose. I've used the hell out of mine and the blade eventually just freely rotated on the pivot. However, you can gently tap the pivot with a hammer and tighten it up or buy a small pocket slip sheath for it. I'm an artist by profession and keep my Higo in my art kit for cutting paper, cutting decals, sharpening pencils, sharpening leads, and other small craft tasks. It absolutely excels in this role and is also actually quite good and detailed finish wood carving tasks.

Seems to be the holy trinity: DBK Knivesandtools Higonokami Higos definitely have style!

When I watched this video the first time, I had to buy one. I love this knife, and the history behind it. Thanks for making a great video, guys!

I'd like to have a knife like this blade as a fixed/full tang knife about the size of Mora Companion. But this folder is nice too!

Hey mates, beautiful knives indeed!! I have 2 never used and one I play with!! awesome knives!! so sad when the man passes away and none is made any more! I'm going to get 2 more right now!!

Great video

I call mine "the Pocket Mora" :)

I have one. You can sharpen them really easy and razor blade like. Excellent for fine work where you need a crazy sharp edge...

Alright you got me. Just pulled the trigger on a nice little satin black! Can't wait to get it!

Totally buying one. Great channel.

You should pick up the top of the line model. Goes for around £94 and is a full tanto blade.

Just received one from knivesandtools.Love it for leatherwork :-)

Stay sharp!

these are great knives I'm definitely getting a few different types I only have a black one

Christmas is coming up and you have Greenery in the background. it is just not the tradition of Japanese blades that is only changing...

Wow amazing little knives, good investments, i love how slim they are. Thanks for the vid.

Definitely makes me want a Higonokami

Love the video guys! I found this because I just ordered one and am pacing, waiting on the mailman. Fantastic video. I’ll be subscribing

On the topic of folders, could you make a destruction test of the spyderco tenacious? Enjoyed your destruction test of that Chinese copy, but how about a real budget folder that has a reputation for being sturdy.

uploaded on my B-day!!!!!!!

I got one too.Handle aside but the blade is the real deal.Very interesting knife.

always remember...if anyone gives or gifts you a knife...give them a nickel or it cuts the friendship 😉

nice that you drop the videos in such a short rate.

Say Heah M&M, I really like those fokders. But I'm not much into folders. But I do have a few, I have the Cold Steel Talwar a Titanium Frame with Linen Mivarta Scakes, and a Stainless Steel Pommel Ball that could prolly give someone a good Fred Flintstone Boink on their head, like dough rising, heh heh heh. I also have the same in the Black Sable but no ball pommel but more like a Japanese Style Folder. Vicious I tell you. Oh my S. O. G. Tomcat is also a vintage made in the 440c and a nail nick, The blade has the S. O. G. Camel Humps it's a beauty. I also have the vintage Rajah 1 and the Black Rhino all in the Tri-Ad Lock. I have to also share this. When I first got my Stromeng I heard so much good about Leukos, I even heard Lars Munson used a Stromeng KS-9 when he crossed Canada. So, yeah, I got one plus the Bhuku STAK. plus the KS-5. But I compared it to my Bark River Bravo Golok and I like my Golok much better. I also have a vintage Puma Emperor Folder a sort of tare folder. Plus a few dlipjpints mostly vintage like Ka-Bars, Westerns, Schrades, and Camillus but all made in the U. S. A. I prplly have others I'm forgeting about. I also have a Jumbo Case Folder that eas made by another company as a Test Folder for Case. I also have dome Case Folders that are also vintage. But my C. S. Black Rhino is a pretty good golder in the bush, But I definitely would like to have one of those forder you have, Thanx for sharing them.,,. p

Bought one yesterday (Higonaifu Higo-zakmes MY-120Y) the one with the 10CM blade. Then i stumbled across this review. Would love to get the damast version one day... Blijf scherp!

Hello gentlemen I come from the future with great news. Motosukes son Mitsuo continues their family legacy

God damnit I want one

good discussion thank you these knives have been on my wish list for a while but i guess i just wished for too many other knives so far - have a great day

we can never have to many kinves guys, but are girlfriends and wives say otherwise.

I love them, i have bras one!!!

I have the brass colored one. Very sharp out of the box 📦.

I like them because they're not flashy and for when you can't pull out a 4 inch blade

such beautifull natur

Thanks for another great review!

Hey guys I know how you feel about the Bear grills range knives, but would you consider testing it against your tests? I've seen a pretty good review on the newer pro range, and it seems to hold up :)

It's getting more expensive now

Hey DBK, I know this is an older video but still great content. I live in the US and I would really like to get one of these knives, but there are no websites that sell authentic Higonokami knives that I can find. What are some recommendations on where to buy authentic Higonokami's?

AAAAh Mickee-san, you may not know the real meaning of the word higonokami. It means "he ain't no commie", or in English, a freedom loving man...(Oh buhaha)...really though, these are very cool knives, to bad one cannot carry them in Japan. I spent two years in Japan teaching English in the 1970's. A very interesting country, very lovely people. Generally no knives allowed to be carried! I think we should all carry a Sword, we would be much more polite to each other...ya!

Best een dik lemmet ook of niet?! Ziet er sjiek uit,maar eentje ophalen dan! Toffe video als altijd!

Zo leuk jullie samen te zien (nog steeds) hahaha. Heel interessant trouwens.

Hi I have one after watched your video. that a good knife. Please could you make a video test about the french Douk-Douk knife? That normally have a great resistance and it is similar make technic Thanks.

I bought one as well... too small even by my wife's standards and she is from the Philippines.

They make a VG10 stainless steel version also (size 10)

What kind of edge Hollow straight?

Hi. Do you also have such a slight axial play as if the pin on which the blade "goes" is a tad too thin or the hole in the blade too large? Greetings.

KANEKOMA IS THE NEW ONE AFTER MOTOSUKE ;)

hes the last one ?! dan ga ik mij er nog een paar kopen :-)

very beautiful knife. ;)

De echte Higonokami messen worden uitsluitend vervaardigd in de Kanekoma smederij door Motosuke Nagao (Miki), afstammend van vier generaties smeden. Motosuke Nagao is inmiddels vrij oud en zijn opvolging is niet gewaarborgd. Het gevaar bestaat dat de echte Higonokami messen zullen verdwijnen. De "Higo" messen met een Samurai figuur op het lemmet zijn prima messen maar formeel geen "echte" Higonokami's.

The guy on the left reminds me of hulk from the tv series of the 90s.

Thanks for the video , BUT I'm looking for higonokami blue paper still with liner lock but I couldn't get it , is there any option?

Eh, samurai era ended about a quarter century before these knives began being produced.

Haha, ye me to😂, keep up the good work ✌️️

Do you guys carry fixed blades into town? Do you partake in edc in general?

They are older than that

Bruh, "the little brorher of the katana"? The tanto is the little brother of a katana. This is more like the step brother of the tanto.

Great research...Is there any traditional Dutch knifes?

Where do they put all there knives?

Понимать бы ещё вас.

Like v much... love to have story with...

Geweldige video mannen! Alleen 1 vraag: kan ik deze gewoon bestellen zonder licensie of wat dan ook via Knivesandtools.nl? Ik wil namelijk beginnen met het verzamelen van Japanse traditie items (geen replica's) en wil daar deze folder mes aan toevoegen Groeten uit Rotterdam😄

Judging by the box and the knives, the ones you bought aren't made by nagao

got one today from my father

I'm wondering how a 20 € knife can really be handmade...

It is a knife where a child scrapes a pencil

Ik ga m-knives opzoeken via de fb van mn vriendin. Ik heb geen fb meer. Thanks mannen

u should do an review on the böker urban trapper- thats my favorite edc knife

he go no call me get it lol hlgonokami

Somebody should step up to the plate and apprentice under Nagao, before he croaks.

Zo dat wist ik nog niet. Voor dat geld ga ik er denk ik maar een aanschaffen....... jongens jullie zijn niet goed voor mijn portemonnee. Kennen jullie mensen die met leer werken en custom dingen maken? Ik zoek een axe loop voor mm fjall equipment belt nergens te vinden..... halp

No one understands the addiction. My gf thinks I'm weird

more like the little sister

tyfs atb

"Little brother of the katana" hahah whiteboys.

While I can certainly agree that the history behind these unique knives (and I use that term loosely) is very cool, in the end this is nothing more than a very unsafe, janky ass folding knife. Nick Shabazz's review basically says it all: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-DAY_imZiRiA.html First off, these knives are very unsafe to carry in the pocket because there is no detent or way to keep the blade folded shut while in the pocket. And while your knife may have had sufficient friction to keep the knife closed, these knives vary A LOT in fit & finish. I've personally owned a few that loosely flopped in and out of the handle with no retention whatsoever! Even knives that DID initially have good retention quickly loosened up with use. Worse yet, all attempts at hammering the pivot pin to tighten the action did nothing but distort the rivet and didn't tighten the knife at all! Furthermore, the short tang is a horrible design that forces the user to basically use only ONE conceivable grip-- the saber grip. A saber grip is designed for stabbing (hence how the grip got it's name) and is probably the LAST thing you would ever want to do with this knife unless you wanted to cut yourself. But bottom line is that the saber grip is not a very useful grip when compared to all of the other various knife grips. One of the most common mistakes people make is using a saber grip in place of a hammer grip which is bad practice because placing your thumb on the spine of the knife stresses tendons in the forearm causing cramping and fatigue, while also reducing the effective amount of power that can be applied to the cut. Arguably the two most useful knife grips for 99.999% of knife related tasks, are the hammer grip and pinch grip; neither of which are able to be safely used with this knife without running the risk of the blade closing on your fingers because the tang is too short to be properly and safely encompassed by the hand. The handle is also just lousy as it's simply a folded piece of metal that is unfinished and left with sharp edges that is super uncomfortable in the hand. It's as if the handle was simply an afterthought! So at the end of the day what you have is a knife that doesn't stay open, doesn't stay closed, is very unsafe, and uncomfortable to use. Cool history or not, this is still just a shitty knife. Sorry.

I hope he retires soon so I can make a profit off mine lol

This episode looks too much like a tv selling show, you keep repeating "it might be the last ones, it's cheap, ... blabla" xD I won't dislike this one, but i won't like this video either

I love you guys but stop worrying about your hair and how it's receding

There is a reason these knives are going extinct. they are a shitty, terrible design. glad to see these finger choppers going to the wayside.