Petty knife with a 154 mm blade. This is an exceptionally delicate and thin warikomi forging, a true precision tool. 

When forging warikomi, Wakui begins with a single piece of soft iron that will become the cladding. This piece is split down the middle, almost like opening a book, but not cut all the way through. The gap that forms is where the hard core steel will sit. He then takes a small rectangular bar of the hard core steel and inserts it into this split. Once the core steel is positioned inside, the outer iron is folded back around it. The entire assembly is then heated and repeatedly hammered until the three layers fuse into a single solid blade blank.

Blade length: 154 mm
Blade height: 33 mm
Weight: 96 grams
Handle: Octagonal macassar ebony handle with pakkawood bolster
Steel: Aogami #2 with iron cladding (warikomi)

Wakui is a highly talented smith who makes beautiful carbon-steel knives. The core steel is Aogami #2, hand-laminated with an iron cladding. Wakui comes from the city of Sanjo in western Japan, a town known for many famous smiths such as Yoshikane and Shigefusa. You can actually see clear similarities between Wakui’s and Shigefusa’s blades in the meticulous craftsmanship. Wakui tapers the blades with great skill, the spine is well rounded for a comfortable grip, and above all, the edge is extremely thin and sharp.

Note: Aogami #2 is a carbon steel that is not stainless. Be sure to dry the blade after use. Also use caution when working with the knife, as the thin and very hard edge can easily be damaged if you chop into harder materials.