Kiridashi: A Very Impressive Tool

[G L Drew]

I always thought of a kiridashi as a novelty until I got fooling with a few of them myself. After a couple false starts I think I have made several excellent working tools. AND DO THEY CUT! On my first attempt I made the angle of the blade too square to the handle and it was a little ungainly so with these two I made the angle more extreme and they just fit my hand better. I think I prefer the thinner blade (1/8 inch stock) but that is just me, I always like a thin knife. I have been slicing phone book pages, cutting cardboard and skewing leather today with surprising results. I might be carrying one of these around but for sure there will be one on my work bench for when I need to lop off some rope or trim my fingernails. And did I mention that the chisel grind really cuts?

 

[litetube]

nice work!! cool designs. Nothing like making something yourself

 

[Darrin Sanders]

Lookin' good there Gerry, sounds like you're hooked now. I didn't think too much of them until I made a few from some scrap pieces. They do cut like crazy especially when taken down to a zero edge.

 

[Brian.Evans]

Gerry, I just want you to know, after reading your two posts I went out and dug through my scraps and found a couple pieces of 52100. I only did one tonight, but I will try to grind another one soon. I'm hooked! Very cool! Now to ht.

 

[Mitchell Knives]

I make a lot of kiridashi, and they are great EDC/utility blades! The design is underrated by many in the knife community.

 

[G L Drew]

Gerry, I just want you to know, after reading your two posts I went out and dug through my scraps and found a couple pieces of 52100. I only did one tonight, but I will try to grind another one soon. I'm hooked! Very cool! Now to ht.

Drop us a couple of photos when they are done!

 

[Bo T]

I really like the looks, but how comfortable is the twisted handle in use?

 

[G L Drew]

I really like the looks, but how comfortable is the twisted handle in use?

Probably for comfortable than you would think but a small knife like this is not meant for heavy use, more to cut a string or remove a hang nail.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Those are way better than the standard "sharpened end on a bar of steel" far too many kiridashi look like.

As for use, a kiridashi ( basically - "carving knife" ) was generally made for small woodworking and gardening tasks. It was also a simple house tool to cut paper, string, threads, sharpen pen tips and later pencils, etc. ...... basically it is the Japanese equivalent of a toolbox/home/office box cutter.
They were rather short and small, often with a plain unfinished tsuka/saya that made the tool a short wooden cylinder when not in use. This was conducive to pocket carry, which gave rise to the idea of it as a small utility "pocket knife" or "carpenter's pocket tool". It was never intended as a self defense knife, and would be poor as one. For emergency self defense, a slightly longer and sharp edged knife would be used. These were usually kaiken ( also spelled Kwaiken and kaikon ) blades. Kaiken translates roughly as "trimming knife" (kai = clip/cut/trim), and was mostly a gentleman's grooming tool, but doubled as a close quarters fighting knife. The kaiken was the Japanese equivalent of the Scottish sgian dubh..

 

[fujita yuji]

Kaiken translates roughly as "trimming knife" (kai = clip/cut/trim), and was mostly a gentleman's grooming tool, but doubled as a close quarters fighting knife. The kaiken was the Japanese equivalent of the Scottish sgian dubh..

You are right, Stacy. Scottish sgian-dubh.
But I think Kaiken never was a trimming tool as the part "kai" just means "chest pocket" or "chest cache" that overall meaning becomes "pocket sword".
We still have a word "懐刀" which is read "futokoro-katana", and it is a synonym of "the colleague to rely on in the moment of truth".
Kaiken used to have some symbolic meaning as well as actual self-defence function.
Maybe I'm wrong, just my personal opinion.

 

[Daniel Fairly Knives]

Mine gets used quite a lot, I like it in the shop and around the house.

Here's a thread I did with some of the uses. http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/912170-Uses-of-a-Kiridashi

Nice work G L Drew!

 

[David Wesner]

Some of the nicest little cutters I've seen in a while Mr. Drew. Nice twist to both the flared blade rat-tail and the little pig tail :thumbup:



edited to add .............. yours too Daniel , sweet !

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

.....overall meaning becomes "pocket sword". .....

Or can be translated as "pocket blade"...what we would call a pocket knife.

I fully agree that just like the sgian dubh, it was mostly a hidden knife for when things got ugly and close. I can just see a Japanese chap saying to the guard, "Oh, this little knife? It is just for trimming my nails and such."

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

.....overall meaning becomes "pocket sword". .....

Or can be translated as "pocket blade"...what we would call a pocket knife.

I fully agree that just like the sgian dubh, it was mostly a hidden knife for when things got ugly and close. I can just see a Japanese chap saying to the guard, "Oh, this little knife? It is just for trimming my nails and such."

 

[ludibes]

nice. I like dashies, have made one for myself and I use it in all carving projects. it takes time to get used to way of working with it but once you got it its realy pleasant. mine though have chisel grind, other side flat as it works better for woodcarving.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Kiridashi should be chisel grind. - katakiri.