Fuji Knife - Hand Forged - White Paper Steel
The Fuji Knife by MUJUN reimagines the classic Japanese higonokami folding knife as an object of considered design, hand-forged in the blade-making heartland of Hyogo. It is both a knife and bottle opener.
When the blade is folded closed into the brass handle, the silhouette of the whole object becomes a view of Mount Fuji as seen from Miho no Matsubara - the UNESCO World Heritage pine grove on the Shizuoka coast, one of Japan's most celebrated vantage points for the mountain. The snow-capped peak is etched along the blade spine; the sweeping grove of pines is engraved into the handle face.
The higonokami is Japan's most iconic folding knife - a friction-lock blade with a thumb lever (chikiri) that both opens the blade and holds it safely open during use. The form emerged in the 1890s in Miki City, Hyogo, where blacksmiths who had forged blades for samurai swords turned to civilian tools after the Meiji-era prohibition on edged weapons. Miki remains one of Japan's foremost blade-production centres.
The hand-forged version is the work of master blacksmith Koji Miyanohara, who trained under a flower scissors (hanakiri basami) craftsman with over seventy years of experience. Flower scissors demand exceptionally precise and thin blade geometry - a discipline that carries directly into the Fuji knife's blade. The visible hammer marks along the blade surface shows the record of how the knife was made.
The blade is forged from Shirogami (白紙鋼, white paper steel) - a high-purity carbon steel prized for its clean composition and its capacity to take an extremely fine, responsive edge - and clad in soft iron using a san-mai (three-layer) construction. The outer iron absorbs shocks and protects the steel core; the Shirogami delivers the edge. The blade has a natural kurouchi (black forge) finish, which will develop a patina over time.
The solid brass handle functions as the blade's sheath when folded, and its sculpted lower end is a bottle opener. The handle will develop its own patina with use, deepening in character over time.
Specifications:
- Blade: Shirogami (white paper steel) core, soft iron cladding, kurouchi finish
- Handle: Solid brass, engraved
- Mechanism: Friction folder with chikiri thumb lever
- Overall length (open): 176mm | Cutting edge: 64mm | Blade width: 12mm | Handle: 102mm
- Dimensions (closed): 111mm × 24mm × 9mm
- Weight: 50g
- Packaging: Paulownia (kiri) wood box with stitched cotton cloth
- Origin: Made in Miki City, Hyogo, Japan
Care:
Wipe the blade dry after each use. Hand wash with mild soapy water if needed and dry thoroughly immediately - do not leave wet. Apply a light coat of camellia oil or food-safe mineral oil before storage, especially if the knife will not be used for an extended period.
The blade will develop surface patina; this is natural and expected with carbon steel. Do not put in dishwasher.
Please note: The higonokami is a friction folder - it has no locking mechanism. During use, keep your thumb on the chikiri lever to prevent the blade from closing accidentally. The mechanism will loosen over time and can be tightened with a tap of a wooden mallet.
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MUJUN is a design collective based in Hyogo Prefecture, working in close collaboration with craftspeople in Miki City - one of Japan's historic blacksmithing centres and the birthplace of the higonokami pocket knife. With few of the original manufacturers remaining, MUJUN works to sustain the tradition by developing new designs and training new artisan apprentices in the region's historic blacksmithing techniques. The Fuji Knife, first designed in 2018, is the most visible expression of that mission: a hand-forged tool that is also a considered piece of design, distributed by a small network of specialist retailers worldwide.