Higo

The first Higonokami pocket knives were crafted in 1896 in the Japanese city of Miki. After the last samurai were forbidden from carrying swords in public, many blacksmiths began producing knives. Higo no Kami was then an honorary title for particularly powerful samurai, and it quickly became the name for the knives produced there. Since then, the construction of the classic Higo has hardly changed. The handle is usually made from a single piece of folded metal, and the knife is opened by a tang (chikiri) on the back of the blade. Pressure on the tang while holding the knife keeps the blade open.