Japanese wa-handle woods

A while back I was asked to post a photo of some of the wa-handles I have, all from Japan with the traditional buffalo horn ferrules, and showing a selection of most of the woods used for kitchenknife handle-making. Here we go:



L to R they are: kuriki (burnt Japanese chestnut), kokutan (ebony), shitan (rosewood), ichii (yew), kurumi (Japanese walnut), sakura (Japanese cherry), keyaki (Japanese elm/zelkova), and 2x hōnoki (magnolia obovata, which everyone likes to call 'ho').

The orange saya wood is also ichii (much more orange than the handle) and the other saya is a mystery wood, so I've put it here hoping someone can tell me what it is (very light, soft wood; a Heiji saya)

When posting this I checked the names and translations, but still be wary of these. I'm not a botanist or wood guru and so I won't say much more but, if you take chestnut as an example, Japanese chestnut is a genus distinct from other chestnut woods, and so seeing familiar names like 'chestnut' or 'walnut' etc doesn't give the full picture, and the local equivalent where you might be could well be a different wood if you're not in Japan.

Ebony - The handle you see must be Makassar ebony, originally from Indonesia, and so is imported. Its use could be traditional, however, as I recall reading that this kind of ebony has long been a favourite for construction.

Rosewood - There are a few types of 'genuine' rosewood, apparently, and other woods called this, too. I don't know how traditional its use is, but it does pop up a lot in handles. Like the ebony it's obviously imported from somewhere.

Ho - Sadly, this ubiquitous handle wood is much maligned on KKF, but I've always been happy with good ho handles and so included 2 in the shot as there seems to be some variety with the wood. I think the shiny grain pattern on the darker left ho handle is pretty nice, while the right ho handle (on a Shigehiro) is quite a different colour and much lighter than usual. Both good, I think

Ichii, kurumi, sakura, keyaki - I'd guess that these are not that commonly used, and so probably aren't that traditional for handles. I've seen a couple other less common woods used too, but I don't have examples of them for the picture. Some variety is nice.

Anyway, I'm sure there are some out there that will know a lot more about this, but maybe the photo will be useful as a visual reference.

The saya could be cedar.

Nice write up by the way!

pkjames said:

The saya could be cedar. Nice write up by the way!

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Thanks, J. Yes, you might be right. I've heard of cedar saya somewhere. If so, I'm not sure if 'cedar' from Japan would be the same as cedar in other places.

Asteger, thanks for taking the time to post such a thorough write up. I've been guilty of the fancy handle disease:bigeek:, but I love the burnt chestnut handle on my Gesshin Heiji. Did you ask for these wood types when ordering the knife?

Soft, straight grained, stable, easy to work with. Close enough that I'd consider the Japanese one is the same as the ones in other places. from a non-botanist's point of view

pkjames said:

Soft, straight grained, stable, easy to work with. Close enough that I'd consider the Japanese one is the same as the ones in other places. from a non-botanist's point of view

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... Did a quick check and: ahem, cryptomeria japonica is also known as Japanese cedar or Japanese red-cedar, or 'sugi' in Japanese. 'Soft, straight grained, stable, easy to work with' sounds on the mark. However, in pictures such as this (from Japan-Tool) the wood looks kind of different:



I oiled the saya and it is darker now, which could be it. Anyway, maybe I should just email Heiji again and ask.

Bill13 said:

Asteger, thanks for taking the time to post such a thorough write up. I've been guilty of the fancy handle disease:bigeek:, but I love the burnt chestnut handle on my Gesshin Heiji. Did you ask for these wood types when ordering the knife?

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Thanks, Bill. Yes and no. Let me see... the 2 ho handles came on the knives, a Tadatsuna bought in Japan and BMS Shigehiro. The keyaki was an 'upgrade' from Watanabe (expensive, I think no longer offered, and I probably wouldn't do it again anyway). The ichii is on a Hide knife and was already that way. And the burnt chestnut handle was a kind gift a while back from Huw VB, which I put on a Heiji which had come with a too-small ho (seems he does put small handles on his knives). The others are spares I got from Japan but which I haven't used yet, and might or just might keep for future years when current handles need replacement, which I think is the idea with these types of handles. I also have several other spares not shown, almost all of the rest being ho.

I couldn't find the keyaki upgrade on the Wananabe website, but I do remember it being quite expensive. Found this interesting knife with a handle made of Enju that looks nice. http://www.kitchen-knife.jp/special/damascuschefknife.htm

A the moment he is offering some upgraded handles for gyutos (keyaki, ebony octagon and ebony octagon). They are quite pricy especially the last 2.

Indeed I do not see any general offer for handle upgrade, but I suppose this can be arranged with him.

With keyaki, I remember being able to order/request this 2 years ago and it costing nearly Y10,000 extra (was less in the past) which I gave into but def stopped at ordering a saya. Not long after I noticed the keyaki option seemed discontinued.

Very nice handle with nice grip due to the grain-feel, and the weight/balance on my gyuto is just right for me, so well done. Not sure if Watanabe always gets the balance right from other buyers' perspectives or not. I think people complained in the past that keyaki wasn't worth the extra expense, but I imagine this is more to do with it not offering an eye-catching burl-like visual difference or something, rather than the actual quality and feel of the handle. People buy with their eyes.

Bill13 said:

Found this interesting knife with a handle made of Enju that looks nice. http://www.kitchen-knife.jp/special/damascuschefknife.htm

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Yes, enju looks good too. Apparently the tree's originally from China, and another I've seen is 'karin' or Chinese quince - not too useful of a fruit maybe, but the wood's nice. Here's a Ratuken knife-handle-saya in karin:

Not knife handles, but here are some Japanese woods carved into bowls and the pictures show the grain pretty well:
(The craftsmanship that goes into these and the go boards listed on the site are pretty impressive as well)
http://shop.kurokigoishi.co.jp/en/category/0905?view_mode=jump_page&view_data=2&view_page=2&S=4

Great write up! Thanks for taking the time to contribute. :doublethumbsup:

Castalia said:

Not knife handles, but here are some Japanese woods carved into bowls ...

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Thanks again.

... And I've had a look at those bowl-type things before too. Wood's a nice thing, indeed.

However, Y798,000 for Yakasuki cedar??!!! You could buy a dozen top gyuto instead.

By the way, the sakura bowls show the colour of the wood better than my handle shot above, as it should look more peach or pinkish (not unlike some of the blossoms themselves). I'd hoped to install that handle on a knife for my wife, who likes it and sakura, but haven't found the right knife yet. Here are the bowls:

Ebony - kokutan - country wood?

spoiledbroth said:

Ebony - kokutan - country wood?

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Nah, different kanji but I get what you're thinking. 'Koku's the pronunciation of the 'black' kanji 黒 in this case, so no connection to 'koku' or 'country'.

... And correction from before:

Asteger said:

Japanese chestnut is a genus distinct from other chestnut woods

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Chestnut is the genus, and Japanese chestnut is a species of the genus.

Asteger said:

Nah, different kanji but I get what you're thinking. 'Koku's the pronunciation of the 'black' kanji 黒 in this case, so no connection to 'koku' or 'country'.

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ohhhh haha. I had just thought like gaikokujin or nippon koku ...! Trying to understand little bits and pieces where I can. Thanks for the info! And for posting the thread.

Asteger said:

Thanks again.

... And I've had a look at those bowl-type things before too. Wood's a nice thing, indeed.

However, Y798,000 for Yakasuki cedar??!!! You could buy a dozen top gyuto instead.

By the way, the sakura bowls show the colour of the wood better than my handle shot above, as it should look more peach or pinkish (not unlike some of the blossoms themselves). I'd hoped to install that handle on a knife for my wife, who likes it and sakura, but haven't found the right knife yet. Here are the bowls:

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That is certainly a lot of money, but remember that the designation of yakusugi is reserved specifically for Japanese cedar trees growing on Yakushima that have been alive for at least 1,000 years. Though Yakushima has a history of logging predating the U.S. by two-hundred years, it's been strictly prohibited to cut (or, sometimes, even touch) yakusugi for some time now.

I spent a week hiking and sleeping amongst these trees in the mountains of Yakushima, and there is magic on those mountains. I've never felt such a strong power/energy existing in the world like that. I am not at all a religious or spiritual man, but it was crushing and undeniable. I heard a snowfall in my tent one night, just below one of the peaks, and I woke to find that what had fallen was not snow but a thick blanket of perfect elongated crystals. I spent that most of that morning with one of the tiny deer, specific to that island, that wanted to know what the hell I was doing up there in winter. It's a wild place. Anyway, I would not personally touch actual yakusugi lumber or anything made from it. It's something like making a quilt with the Shroud of Turin.

In a separate note, this is a great write-up! Thanks for putting this together.

Thanks, Sam, and I didn't know about this place as somewhere 'special' either, aside from being dimly aware of islands existing to the south of Kyushu. Also thanks for being the one to actually spell 'Yakusugi' correctly.

The yakusugi bowls do seem to almost glow:

Agree, maybe not the most appropriate wood for making knife handles, but it is beautiful.

I like the idea of burnt chestnut. I've seen the burn and brush technique done on furniture and the results were quite effective.

I've got 3 or 4 burnt chestnut handles installed. I like one a lot, but generally they're my least favourite. True, the rougher grain is good for gripping, but also being rougher and burnt they're a little more rustic, and so might suit that sort of knife. I don't think they usually suit Kato (and they're not traditional where Kato's from anyway, another slight reason for me), and they definitely wouldn't suit non-KU Shigefusa. To me they're a better fit for Heiji for example, and maybe for various KU knives too, or ones with hammered finishes.

Asteger said:

I've got 3 or 4 burnt chestnut handles installed. I like one a lot, but generally they're my least favourite. True, the rougher grain is good for gripping, but also being rougher and burnt they're a little more rustic, and so might suit that sort of knife. I don't think they usually suit Kato (and they're not traditional where Kato's from anyway, another slight reason for me), and they definitely wouldn't suit non-KU Shigefusa. To me they're a better fit for Heiji for example, and maybe for various KU knives too, or ones with hammered finishes.

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I have the chestnut on a Heiji and a Kato, love the grip they provide too. Did not know it was not traditional where Kato was from, hmmm.... Well if I change the handle it won't be for awhile, saving up money and trying to pay down bills.

Have sharpened some quality knives with the Chestnut handles. Have only owned one , a 270mm Singatirin Honyaki from BST. I like the handle, nice piece of jet black polished horn. The Singatirins are not fancy honyaki with polished out hamon line. You can see the Hamon on the top part of the blade. They are workhorse knives the handle fits the blade. I sold it to the head hotel banquet chef. He uses it all the time.

Notice some really nice blades both from JKI and across the pond have the Chestnut. JMO think the workhorse Kato & chestnut go well together.

I like elm for mallets or tools that take heavy blows. Is Elm used for wa handles? Of course, what has been used and what can be used are two separate schools of thought. Elm has long fibers and would lend really well to the burn and brush technique. Ok I just convinced myself.

jessf said:

I like elm for mallets or tools that take heavy blows. Is Elm used for wa handles? Of course, what has been used and what can be used are two separate schools of thought. Elm has long fibers and would lend really well to the burn and brush technique. Ok I just convinced myself.

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Yup, sounds good to me. And to answer, yes, in a way. It's probably a different related species, but if you didn't see the beginning above 'keyaki' is sometimes named Japanese Elm in English. 3rd from the right:

Yeah I see you mentioned the japanese elm in your first post, pays for me to read more closely . I've got some deer horn and red elm laying around. I feel a bladeless handle coming.

Asteger said:

Yup, sounds good to me. And to answer, yes, in a way. It's probably a different related species, but if you didn't see the beginning above 'keyaki' is sometimes named Japanese Elm in English. 3rd from the right:

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jessf said:

I've got some deer horn and red elm laying around. I feel a bladeless handle coming.

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That sounds good to try out. Please post photos if you do.

i really like the sakura, where can you find one of those?

panda said:

i really like the sakura, where can you find one of those?

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I think you have to get lucky. They don't seem to be common, but you can't get more Japanese than sakura wood I guess. It's actually slightly pink-ish or peach, more than you see in the photo, and so def makes you think of sakura. I just remembered the name of a shop I couldn't recall on another thread. Not sure if they do internet orders from abroad, though: Ichimonji in Osaka. This page lists ho, ebony, ichii and rosewood: http://www.ichimonji.co.jp/usermaintenance/order_togi.html