Japanese Machete ?

Think of it as more of a hatchet than machete. It is carried by woodsmen for cutting/harvesting green bamboo and other finer woodworking purposes and for splitting firewood (batoning anyone?) rather than slashing like with a machete.

As a hatchet it performs very well. The Japanese were always a practical people with their edged too designs.
 
I've seen them called "bamboo hatchets".
They are also available without the wooden handle,
instead having an integral "iron handle":

images


(but they're only half the size of what Mr. Church makes :))
 
Hatchete? I'd be more inclined to call it whatever the natives do. ;):thumbup: Anyone know? :confused:
 
In my collection there are two such, the Japanese call them "hand ax".
It is very convenient to cut small branches
 
The proper word is 鉈 "nata". You have different versions of this tool:

- the one in the link by 87Burban is a 腰鉈 koshi-nata, meaning "worn at the hip", a general use hatchet (also万能鉈 bannô-nata)
- 竹割り鉈 takewari-nata, a nata for splitting bamboo (this one often comes w/o a wooden handle)
- 剣鉈 ken-nata, literally "sword-nata", is a clip point nata mostly used by hunters
- there are more, shapes (eg. with a blunt nose or sharp hook at the end of the blade like a bill hook) and names

Most nata are chisel-ground for right hand use (unlike some tactical knives *cough*Emerson*cough*), meaning it works very well with little practise. This also makes sharpening easy, since you only have to sharpen the bevel on the right side and then just knock off the burr on the flat (or often slightly hollow-ground) left-hand side.

Most takewari-nata have a standard two bevel grind, if that's you want.


Ookami
 
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These folks seem to know how to make some of the best steel in the world.


Would be nice if one of our esteemed suppliers here would cary some of these......Hint Hint......to avoid overseas shipping ;)


I found some of the hunting style knives, but the pages were in Japanese, which doesn't help an ignorant hillbilly.
 
Well, a lot of suppliers carry the Kanetsune brand. Most of their models fit the hunting category.


Ookami
 
I don't believe I've seen a "nata" produced by Kanetsune.
 
Those are very nice, but since I am cheap (my Father always called it "Thrifty"), I was looking for the generic - working mans - version.

Japanese Knives Direct has listings of some wonderful items; works of art really. So does Japan Blades.

I don't think I could really bring myself to chop on something with a $200 blade (or with a $600 one for that matter like some folks do).

I can still appreciate the design and intent of the maker, however.

I'll keep poking around....
 
The two Japanese "bamboo hatchets" in the photo I posted earlier in this thread were priced at thirty-something and forty-something dollars, from a supplier in the USA. Yasuki white steel laminated to iron.
 
stilgar said:
Could you provide a link please?
Click to expand...
IIRC, links to non-member sellers are prohibited on BladeForums.
If you do a Google search for "bamboo hatchet", and then click on "Images", the exact photo should appear not far from the top, which can lead you there.
 
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