Tataki-Nomi Japanese Made Timber Chisel By Ichihiro Ⅲ - 60mm

Smith name: Yamazaki Shouzou (January 3, 1938~ March 11, 2006)

Steel: White Steel No.1

Blade width: 61mm

Blade thickness: Blade Bottom(about 11.00mm)，The blade near the bevel (about 7.40mm)

Manufacture Era: Before 1980

Weight: 545g

Blade Angles: 24°

Total length: 312mm

Neck length:  82mm

Blade length: 68mm

Wooden handles：Japanese White Oak（Shirakashi）

Accessories：—

Additional Information:  This is a used, rare 60mm Tataki-nomi crafted by Ichihiro the Third during his early period, sourced from a retired carpenter in the Tokyo area. Although it was heavily used by its previous owner and shows significant surface rust, the ura (back) is still in good condition, leaving plenty of life in the blade. I have performed a restorative sharpening, bringing both the bevel and the cutting edge up to 1,000 grit. The wooden handle was replaced by Mr. Tsuchida.

Based on the feedback from the steel and the behavior of the burr during sharpening, the steel is quite hard—harder than the steel typically used in Kiyotada chisels. That being said, the heat treatment is outstanding, featuring a uniform grain structure and good toughness. However, because its toughness is slightly lower than that of most Kiyotada chisels, you may need to increase the bevel angle when working with dense hardwoods.

Another impressive feature of this batch of Ichihiro chisels is the komi (tang). The komi on these Hidari Ichihiro chisels is noticeably thicker and more robust than most others I have encountered. While a stouter komi is much more ideal for both the tool's structural integrity and the user, it demands a much higher level of skill from the craftsman fitting the handle. As a result, due to complaints from wholesalers and handle-fitters over time, the komi size on most Hidari Ichihiro chisels was eventually reduced.

For reference regarding the komi of this particular batch of Ichihiro chisels, you can check out this post by Mr. Tsuchida: [Link]. The chisel on the left is one from this exact batch.

Aside from the unique komi, the overall shaping of this 60mm chisel differs significantly from a typical Ichihiro. There is a strong possibility that it was a custom order. Mr. Tsuchida posted a few tweets while fitting the handle for it, which can be found here: [Link]； [Link]；