Higonokami pocket knife 7,7 cm HIGO12BR, White paper steel, sheepfoot

Everything about the Japanese Higo no Kami pocket knife emanates tradition. In the past everyone in Japan, including school children, used to carry a knife like this. The Higo pocket knife was used to sharpen pencils and for many other tasks.

The blade is easy to open with the 'chikiri' (the lever at the end of the blade). As is common for this type of knife, it doesn't have a lock and the blade completely disappears inside the handle when closed.

Shirogami (white paper steel)

White paper steel is a very pure carbon steel. It is made by removing impurities from SK steel. This gives you a steel with a high concentration of carbon. The concentration of carbon makes it easy to sharpen and provides good flexibility. This steel composition is very similar to the steel composition of the Samurai swords of old. However, this steel is not corrosion-resistant.