Ikeuchi Shozo-saku Shirabiki Marking Knife 15mm Blue Paper Steel Black Finish

Enter the world of hand-forged Japanese tools with these beautiful examples of the blacksmith’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.

Ikeuchi's Shozo-saku series 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 Shozo-saku knives are sharpened but may require slight honing and flattening before first  use.