Shozosaku Shirabiki Marking Knife 15mm Blue Paper Steel Black Finish

Enter the world of hand-forged Japanese tools with these beautiful examples of the blackmith’s art.

 The Shirabiki is a traditional Japanese marking knife used mainly across the grain. In use, the flat side is pressed lightly against the leg of a steel square with the point cutting into the wood and the heel floating above. The blade is then pulled toward the user to cut a straight layout line.

 Shozosaku knives are carefully hand-forged in Miki, Japan, using the classic Blue Paper Steel #2, a high-carbon steel renowned for its astonishing sharpness and excellent edge retention. The black finish is called ‘kurouchi’ which imparts an understated aesthetic to the tool – as well as great grippiness.

The back side of the tool has a hollow grind, as is customary for Japanese single-bevel blades. This hollow makes flattening the back easier, because it reduces the amount of hard steel that needs to be ground. All Shozosaku knives are sharpened but may require slight honing and flattening before first  use.