Recommendation? What's a good size for Kiridashi?

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dieale2

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May 2, 2019
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Not looking to make a baby or pocket version but a everyday size that fits the hand well.

I found some info about the various sizes. This website sells some Japanese Kiridashi that varies between 160mm to 210mm (6.2" to 8.2") in length and 3mm to 21mm (0.11" to 0.82") in width. This forum post suggests that 18mm (0.70") is a good width.

Seems like 0.70" width and 6" length makes a reasonable size for a everyday knife. I could just make a bunch of them in different sizes since they don't take much steel but I would like some guidance first.

Also What thickness is good? I have 0.70 and .110 inch stock. Seems like 0.70 is good for a everyday knife where I don't expect high impact.
 
I would use .110 thick steel. Try to make one that fits your hand. No need to overthink it in my opinion.
 
It would depend on what the pocket kiridashi is to be used for. If it is for sharpening pencils, cutting paper and boxes, etc. use .08 to .10 steel. Make the blade about`1.5" long and the handle about 4" long.
If used for carpentry and outdoors tasks, use .125" steel, make the blade 2", and handle 5".

Kiridashi means cutting out knife or pointed knife and was the principal tool for many paper arts. When carried in a kimono sleeve or lapel pocket it was often referred to as a kwaiken, which means bosom knife, but is often referred to as meaning pocket knife. Most all women carried one in Japan in the days of kimono wear, especially the wife of a samurai.
 
were Kiridashi very standardised with different specific styles like Japanese chefs knives, or was it more just a free form thing by each maker?
 
Style was mostly in the handle and saya. The blades were very much the same on most kiridashi.

Consider the karidashi as the X-acto knife of old Japan. It was for art and craft projects. Cutting quills for calligraphy, sharpening pencils and charcoal sticks, cutting paper art, cutting string used to tie rolled artwork and bundles, etc. Women used them as a grooming accessory, cutting loose threads, trimming nails, and cutting things around the house.
The craftsmen used a slightly beefier version with a very sharp tip for marking wood to be cut, and for cleaning out tenons.

Enter the period when these "Japanese pocket knives" became a cheap and simple weapon. With swords banned, simpler tools that were considered ordinary found new uses. Similar to how our pocket knives and razors became weapons instead of tools after people stopped carrying guns regularly.
Kiridashi were made with longer blades to get more cutting/slashing/stabbing ability. The blades became 3" long instead of 1" to 2", and quality was usually low.
We saw this same thing in the Western world with cheap pocket knives suddenly having 5" and 6" blades.
 
Thank you! That's interesting
My answer to the initial question was make it a size that would work for what you are using it for from the stock you have on hand. That still sounds like a reasonable approach for what is intended to be a utility knife.
for instance: I have a 20mmx100mm broken 1095 paring knife blade sitting around, if i were making a kiridashi i would probably re-purpose that
 
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