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Thread: Kiyotada Chisel Pics 1/5 Oire & Mukomachi Chisel Sets

  1. #1
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    Kiyotada Chisel Pics 1/5 Oire & Mukomachi Chisel Sets

    In response to my earlier post, some of the guys asked to see pics of some of my Kiyotada chisels. It will take 5 posts within this thread to show the some of them.

    First, are my set of oire and mukomachi (mortice) chisels.

    The Oire set (butt chisels) were custom made for me, and are an old fashioned style with few bevels. I have used these a lot.

    The mukomachi set (mortice chisels) I built up over time. Excellent tools I have used a great deal. They don't chip easily, and stay sharp a long time, so the blades are not much shorter than when I bought them.

    Stan
    KiyotadaOire0565.jpg
    KiyotadaMorticeSet0563.jpg
    Last edited by Stanley Covington; 02-09-2016 at 8:40 AM.

  2. #2
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    Kiyotada Chisels 2/5 Tataki Nomi

    Tataki chisels next. These are rather large, and are intended for timber work. I used these a lot once, but not much now. I have three or four more, but these were immediately at hand.

    KiyotadaTatakiSetTop0577.jpgKiyotadaTatakiSetUra0578.jpgKiyotadaTatakiProfileCU0582.jpgKiyotadaTatakiBevelCU0580.jpgKiyotadaTatakiUra0581.jpgKiyotadaTatakiMeiCU0583.jpg
    Last edited by Stanley Covington; 02-09-2016 at 8:26 AM.

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    Kiyotada Chisels 3/5 Shinogi Paring Chisels

    Next are the shinogi chisels. I am very fond of these.

    The last chisel to the right is really not a shinogi, but a paring chisel. It is a wonder, very thin and very precisely made. Very few blacksmiths can do work this slender and this precise. Another of those chisels that is seldom used, but indispensable.

    KiyotadaShinogiSetTop0573.jpgKiyotadaShinogiSetUra0574.jpgKiyotadaShinogiProfileCU0587.jpgKiyotadaShinogiTopCU0584.jpgKiyotadaShinogiUraCU0586.jpg
    Last edited by Stanley Covington; 02-09-2016 at 9:51 AM.

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    Kiyotada Chisels 4/5 Kote Chisels

    Next are the kote chisels. Sometime before WWII, Mr. Ichiro Tsuchida of Sangenjaya in Tokyo lent Shimamura san (Kiyotada) an original kote chisel made by Korehide Chiyozuru, and had him imitate it in developing this style. Chiyozuru's style is widely acknowledged as the most elegant kote nomi style. The filework is not as refined as Ichihiro's, but it is decent. I only have this three by Kiyotada. He never made many of them, and they are always hard to get. One of those chisels you don't use a lot, but when you need it, nothing else will do the job as well. Great for inletting swamped barrels into curly maple Kentucky longrifle stocks too.

    I have other kote nomi, but compared to these, they are ugly and clumsy and depressing to use.

    KiyotadaKoteTop0567.jpgKiyotadaKoteSide0569.jpgKiyotadaKoteProfileCU0600.jpgKiyotadaKoteBevelCU0596.jpg
    Last edited by Stanley Covington; 02-09-2016 at 8:44 AM.

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    Kiyotada Chisels 5/5 Specialized Paring Chisel

    Next is a specialised tsuki or paring chisel. I don't know the precise name. I bought it at Suiheiya in Tokyo 25 or 26 years ago. I had never seen one before, and have never seen another since. It is intended to be used with the ura riding a jig to pare to a precise angle. Perfect for 45 degree mitres, etc. It is very stiff. The ura is unique because it has multiple hollows, the better to ride the jig without digging in. The Japanese red oak handle is beautiful. This is one chisel I would never be without. I suppose I should ask the kids to toss it into my coffin before they close the lid.

    Stan

    KiyotadaJigTsukiTop0570.jpgKiyotadaJigTsukiUra0571.jpgKiyotadaJigTsukiSide0572.jpgKiyotadaJigTsukiProfileCU0590.jpgKiyotadaJigTsukiUraCU0589.jpg
    Last edited by Stanley Covington; 02-09-2016 at 10:19 PM.

  6. #6
    Stanley,

    Thanks for taking the time to make and post these photos. The little bit of history with each is also nice.

    ken

  7. #7
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    Thank you Stanley for posting these up! Gorgeous chisels!

    You keep up on them very well. I don't recall seeing any of your comments on it, but I assume that you use natural stones from the hazy finish on the Ji. Would you share with us any specifics on your stone preferences?

    Cheers
    Brian
    Bumbling forward into the unknown.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Brian Holcombe View Post
    Thank you Stanley for posting these up! Gorgeous chisels!

    You keep up on them very well. I don't recall seeing any of your comments on it, but I assume that you use natural stones from the hazy finish on the Ji. Would you share with us any specifics on your stone preferences?

    Cheers
    Brian
    Brian:

    My favorite finish stone for chisels is a Honyama, medium soft. A bit green instead of light brown. I have another Honyama stone, yellowish brown, and a bit softer, that I use for planes. I have a Karasuyama for sharpening my razor. Harder, but it really likes my tamahagane razor after a dressing with a tsushima nagura.

    I don't pretend to know a lot about natural stones as they can be frightfully expensive to experiment with. When I first started buying natural stones, I made some expensive mistakes. In one case, I was outright duped by a tool store owner in Sendai. After that, I took a wise man's advice and bought a lot of koppa, small, irregular shaped stones from the various mines at cheap prices, and tried them until I found the mine that produced stones with the texture and hardness that work best for my tools and sharpening style, and that achieved the best finish, and then bought the larger stones to match. This has worked very well for me.

    Stan

  9. #9
    Thanks for this. There's a good chance I'll be taking 2 weeks to go to Japan later this summer and I'm planning on picking up some good chisels at the very least. Not sure what style yet, so can't narrow down makers until I decide that.

  10. #10
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    Ahh, sounds like a nice setup. I'm slowly seeing the genius of medium finish stones, rather than super hard finish stones. I love the super hard stone for very delicate work, but it slows things down a lot on anything else.
    Bumbling forward into the unknown.

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    Hey Stanley,

    Thank you so much for posting your chisels. Incredible stuff. I especially liked the last paring chisel. It is elegant.

    I have my own set of Samurai sword steel chisels from Chiturro Imai. Imai is a current maker and I was lucky enough to buy a set of 15 with Tagayasan rosewood handles that are simply stunning. I posted pics a while back. I very much appreciated your advice to Brian on the natural stones. I think the best way to proceed is to buy some small irregular samples to see what works best for me. Thanks. This is a great post for me all around. I am just starting with Japanese tools. I really like the tradition and the very distinct focus on the steel. With planes and chisels, the steel is the only matter. It is wonderful stuff.

    Thanks Stanley

    Joe
    Last edited by Joe Beaulieu; 02-09-2016 at 7:39 PM.

  12. #12
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    Stanley:
    Thank you for sharing the pictures and information. I have an interest in any Japanese tools, as our daughter in law is a Fukuoka native. Alas, unless the planets align, owning some of the primo chisels is a slim chance.
    I like the piece of Tamo you used as a background for the photos. I was gifted a piece when I went to Japan to visit our DILs family - they took me to see Nashida San ( a master carpenter on the South Island ) and he graciously gave me a small piece of Tamo as well as some camphor wood.
    Thanks again.

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dave Beauchesne View Post
    Stanley:
    Thank you for sharing the pictures and information. I have an interest in any Japanese tools, as our daughter in law is a Fukuoka native. Alas, unless the planets align, owning some of the primo chisels is a slim chance.
    I like the piece of Tamo you used as a background for the photos. I was gifted a piece when I went to Japan to visit our DILs family - they took me to see Nashida San ( a master carpenter on the South Island ) and he graciously gave me a small piece of Tamo as well as some camphor wood.
    Thanks again.
    Dave:

    Good luck getting some good chisels.

    Tamo is a great wood. I need to turn that board into the facings of a cabinet for my wife someday.....

    Stan

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jeffrey Martel View Post
    Thanks for this. There's a good chance I'll be taking 2 weeks to go to Japan later this summer and I'm planning on picking up some good chisels at the very least. Not sure what style yet, so can't narrow down makers until I decide that.
    Jeff:

    You won't find Kiyotada chisels (by Shimamura san) in the stores anymore. They pop up on auctions now and then. They were expensive when Shimamura san made mine, but since his death, the prices have gone insane.

    Stan

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    Some Background About the Blacksmith

    I thought it would be useful to add some more information to the thread about the blacksmith himself.

    There was a famous metallurgist from Niigata Prefecture named Kosuke Iwasaki that had a profound impact on blacksmithing throughout Japan. He probably contributed more to the scientific understanding (versus "tradition") of the chemical processes involved in formulating, forging, and heat treating tool steel by Japanese blacksmiths, and the improvement and widespread use of quality control methodology in blacksmithing thorought Japan than any single man before or since.

    What has Iwasaki got to do with Kiyotada chisels, you ask? Patience. Iwasaki wrote that the best chisel smiths in all of Japan at the time were located in Tokyo. He tested the chisels of the top 4 chisel smiths in Tokyo and proclaimed Chugoro Shimamura as the best. If Iwasaki is to be believed, that makes Shimamura the best chisel smith in Japan. Certainly a lot of Japanese craftsmen believe it. The link below is to a webpage by Mr. Suzuki who has written 5 or 6 volumes on Japanese toolmakers. Sorry its in Japanese.

    http://www.misyuku-suzuki-kanamonote...jimeijin2.html

    The blacksmith was born Chugoro Shimamura (島村忠五郎) in 1890 in Yokohama just a few blocks from my current jobsite. The name implies he was his father's fifth son. He apprenticed to a blacksmith in Nagoya at age 15 and learned to make sickles, hoes, and other such farm implements. According to Suzuki, he developed an interest in chisels, and learned how to make them without formal instruction from a master. He eventually went independent and returned to Tokyo, setting up his first forge in Hashiba in Asakusa Bashi. He relocated several times, but when I visited him, he was working in the Tsukishima area of Chuo Ward (not far from Ginza in a rather rundown residential area).

    The name he worked under was Kiyotada (清忠), combining the character Kiyo (清)meaning "pure" with the character Tada (忠) meaning "faithful." He probably took the Tada character from his own name, because the "Chu" in Chugoro can also be pronounced "Tada." 

    Allow me to digress for a minute. For many decades, Suiheiya (translated as "Level Store" as in the bubble level tool) was the largest tool store in Japan. They are probably still the largest retailer of high-quality woodworking handtools in Japan, and if you are in the area, you should pay them a visit. My favourite guy there passed away last year, so I feel sad about visiting nowadays, but they still have excellent tools. A 15 minute walk from Kaminarimon in Asakusa, or a five minute taxi ride. I think the current owner is the founder's great grandson, but his English is not so good, sorry to say.

    (株)水平屋商店東京都台東区千束1丁目1−3

    1.  Suiheiya Shouten
      Address: 1 Chome-1-3 Senzoku, Taito, Tokyo 111-0031

      Phone:03-3875-0292


    What has Suiheiya to do with Kiyotada, you ask? Obviously Shimamura san had a deep and longstanding relationship with Suiheiya. What is curious is that I was told that Suiheiya owned the registered trademark for the Kiyotada brand, but that Suiheiya was fine with Shimamura using the brand (actually a metal stamp) on all his tools regardless of retailer. I checked with Suiheiya, and indeed, they informed me, they own the Kiyotada trademark. That is why you can still buy chisels and planes with the Kiyotada brand on them from Suiheiya. Identical to the one on my chisel photos.

    The blacksmith who currently makes the Kiyotada brand chisel for Suiheiya resides in Niigata, but his work is unimpressive. Most of the large plane blades sold by Suiheiya under the Kiyotada brand are made by Sekikawa san. I have visited Mr. Sekikawa's home and forge, and have owned lots of his blades for many years, have always found them very well made, and an excellent value. But they are not made by Shimamura san, so if you go to Suiheiya and ask for a Kiyotada chisel, be sure to ask if the maker was Shimamura san, or the Niigata blacksmith.

    Another retailer in Tokyo of Shimamura san's chisels was Mr. Ichiro Tsuchida. Although his store is not as grand as Suiheiya (only two or at most three people can actually enter his store at the same time) I have bought a lot of tools from him over the years. You can tell this from my collection. The white oak handled chisels in these photos were bought at Tsuchida Hamonoten, now operated by Ichiro's son Noboru, and the red oak handled chisels were bought from Suiheiya. Simple personal preference of the shop owners. Those that he made for me custom are also handled in white oak as the transaction went through Tsuchida san.

    Probably more information than you wanted, but the price was right.

    Stan
    Last edited by Stanley Covington; 02-10-2016 at 7:40 AM.

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