Thread: Mystery Japanese Chisel

as I understand its a carving chisel

.... or modified by an owner for a particular purpose. It seems odd that a carving chisel would have a top hoop, since they are usually only struck pretty lightly. The hoop would not make it the most comfortable thing to use, in my book, but I know zip about Japanese carving tools & maybe that's how they like them?

I have a couple of (western) chisels that I've ground with circular edges like that, I use them for squaring the ends of stopped coves & similar tasks...

Cheers,

Thanks fellas.
Yes, I would think that a the hooped top might indicate some fairly robust striking.
I speculated that it might be for Japanese carpentry - as in house building - for this reason.
Perhaps Derek C may have some insights as a student of Japanese chisels.
Cheers
Tom

handles of that type are available sort of like toilet floats are here. If anything is struck in japan, it's usually with a steel hammer, so even light striking necessitates an iron hoop.

Finally got off my ass and got Toshio Odate books out.

On page 76 he refers to the chisel as maru-yama (round chisel).

He says it comes in two versions one for carpenters and one for sculptors.

It is not clear how the chisels are used. He says carpenters cut joints with it like a atsu-nomi (thick chisel) but why he does not explain.

He says the carpenters version is longer in blade and handle and lighter in construction were the carver version is heavier and stouter and is used for finishing smoothing cuts.

He says that it comes in concave and convex forms.

Looking at your photo and what is in the book you seem to have a sculptors version. Short neck, handle and blade.

Screen Shot 2021-06-03 at 5.26.02 pm.jpg Screen Shot 2021-06-03 at 5.25.36 pm.jpg

I think TS has it thoroughly sorted....

Cheers,

Thank you TS
That is super cool.
Much appreciated
Tom

What a memory to remember where you had seen a similar chisel mentioned!

Cheers
Yvan

Originally Posted by yvan

What a memory to remember where you had seen a similar chisel mentioned!

Cheers
Yvan

There's a bunch of different sculpting gouges and other carving tools common in japan that don't really look like things we use.

I have a gaggle of gouges like the ones above due to ordering odd lots from japan on buyee. Not uncommon to get 15 straight chisels and 15 carving tools for about $150 (the challenge is figuring out what to do with them because in the odd lots, some of the chisels are good, and some are just hardware store grade (still good in japan, but crude looking).

Back in the 1970s, Fine Woodworking published a piece describing a similar grind done on common Stanley chisels, by someone who didn't have any carving gouges. I suspect there was a brief fad of people doing that; I haven't seen any reference to that grind in years.

I also think that Thumbsucker has nailed it. It is a Japanese gouge.

With Japanese chisels and gouges, the high quality ones are usually signed by the blacksmith who made them. The signature is punch-engraved on the soft steel side of the blade just below the handle. But on Scribblygum's chisel the "signature" is embossed, not engraved. I have never seen an embossed signature before, and it may indicate something very special. [Signed chisels are almost always better than unsigned. Embossed ???]

Japanese Chisel Embossing.jpg

For illustration, below is a photo of a laminated knife I had made in Japan just before lockdown. The blacksmith signed one side and he engraved my name in Japanese katakana script on the obverse.

Japanese Knife Signing.JPG "Graeme" in Japanese script.

The Varieties of Japanese Chisels Part 10 – The Sotomaru Nomi Incannel Gouge （外丸鑿) – Covington & Sons Tools

Enjoy the read!
Sotomaru nomi is the term i knew this type of chisel by.

Originally Posted by hurcorh

The Varieties of Japanese Chisels Part 10 – The Sotomaru Nomi Incannel Gouge （外丸鑿) – Covington & Sons Tools

Enjoy the read!
Sotomaru nomi is the term i knew this type of chisel by.

Thank you everyone for the replies.
Thank you especially hurcorth for that wonderful reference
My chisel does indeed resemble the back profile of the sotomaru nomi, but is solid and not grooved like a gouge.
Interestingly, I found this chisel at a market in 1987 (yes, 34 years ago) - and bought it on a whim.
I have never found a use for it
Tom