Takeya Kogatana Gumi – Traditional Japanese knives for bamboo craft
The Takeya Kogatana Gumi is a pair of small Japanese knives specifically designed for traditional bamboo work.
Unlike ordinary handheld kogatana knives, these two blades are used together and fixed vertically on a wooden block or work surface. The bamboo strip is then drawn between the blades to obtain a regular and predetermined width.
This traditional technique is known as haba-tori or haba-biki (幅引き) and is an essential stage in the preparation of bamboo strips used in Japanese basketry and other forms of bamboo craft.
The pair consists of two complementary single-bevel blades, allowing them to be positioned opposite each other.
Haba-biki (幅引き): calibrating the width of bamboo strips
Once bamboo has been split into narrow strips, their width still needs to be made regular.
The two Takeya Kogatana blades are positioned at the required distance from each other on a wooden block. The bamboo strip is then pulled between them.
This process removes excess material from the edges and allows the craftsman to produce strips with a consistent, accurately controlled width.
This technique is called haba-biki (幅引き) or haba-tori, literally referring to the adjustment or removal of width.
Mentori (面取り): chamfering the edges
The Takeya Kogatana Gumi can also be used for mentori (面取り), the traditional process of chamfering or beveling the edges of bamboo strips.
Removing the sharp corners produces cleaner, smoother strips and is particularly important when preparing bamboo for fine basketry and other precise craftwork.
The orientation of the single-bevel blades can be adapted according to the technique and working habits of the craftsman.
A specialised tool from Japanese bamboo craftsmanship
These small knives belong to the family of specialist tools developed for Japanese bamboo craft and basketry.
Preparing bamboo strips requires several successive operations: splitting the bamboo, reducing its thickness, calibrating its width and finishing its edges. The Takeya Kogatana Gumi is specifically intended for the precision stages of width calibration and edge chamfering.
Its simple appearance conceals a highly specialised tool whose efficiency depends on the precise positioning of the two blades and on the skill of the user.
Characteristics
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Product: Takeya Kogatana Gumi (竹屋小刀組)
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Type: pair of Japanese bamboo-working knives
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Configuration: two complementary single-bevel blades
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Main uses: bamboo strip width calibration and edge chamfering
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Traditional techniques: haba-biki / haba-tori (幅引き) and mentori (面取り)
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Steel: Aogami carbon steel *
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Use: Japanese bamboo craft, basketry and preparation of bamboo strips
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Made in Japan
