• Hishika "Bessho Jiro" Ryoba.
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Hishika

Jiro Bessho Ryoba - Precision Handmade Japanese Pull Saw

Jiro Bessho Ryoba - Precision Handmade Japanese Pull Saw

✅ Cuts cleaner and faster than machine-made saws
✅ Rips and cross cuts with a single blade
✅ Hardened to ~HRC 60 by hand, ensuring long edge retention
✅ Handmade by master craftsmen in Miki City (Read More...)

$94.00 USD
$94.00 USD
Sale Sold out
Size

Overview

Ryoba are saws for general work and have rip teeth on one side of the blade and crosscut teeth on the other. Bessho Jiro's ryoba are handmade and have subtle differences that make the saw cut more precisely and easily: they are taper ground from the tang to the toe and from the blades to the center. The set of the teeth is also tapered, and the crosscut teeth have slightly less set than the rip teeth.

These details ensure that the user can make cuts faster and more accurately than with a typical machine made replaceable blade saw. This saw can also be resharpened, as the teeth are not impulse hardened.

Size Guide

If you had to pick only one saw: the 240mm is most versatile. It can be used from furniture scale to timber framing, and the teeth are fine enough to work well in hard wood. If you work primarily in hard wood, you may want to consider the Hardwood Kataba instead since it can both rip and crosscut.

If you are a timber framer or want to quickly resaw or dimension softwood: the 295mm cuts aggressively and quickly. However, it does not perform well in hardwoods and is too large for most fine work.

If you work mostly on furniture scale and prefer fine cuts over speed: the 180mm has a tooth almost as fine as machine made dozuki and leaves a smooth surface after cutting.

Please note: This saw should only be used with natural wood. Engineered wood products contain epoxies and glues that can damage the teeth.

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Made Different

Handmade saws have qualities that mass produced saws do not

Jiro Bessho Ryoba Other Brands
Hand Forged ✓ ✗
Taper Ground ✓ ✗
Hand Sharpened ✓ ✗
Resharpenable ✓ ✗
Replaceable Blade ✓ ✓
Steel Type Hand hardened white steel Impulse hardened sheet steel

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About Jiro Bessho Ryoba

FAQ

What are the main differences between a Japanese ryoba and a Western saw?

There are a number, but the biggest one is that western saws are designed to cut on the push stroke, and Japanese saws are designed to cut on the pull stroke. Cutting on the pull stroke allows the smiths to make the saw thinner, which makes the cut finer.

Why do Japanese saws cut on the pull stroke? What are the advantages?

Cutting on the pull stroke makes the blade easier to control and ensures that the saw cuts in a straight line, as each tooth is being pulled out of the cut.

What is a ryoba exactly? Why does it have two cutting edges?

Ryoba is short for ryoba nokogiri, and literally means double-edged saw. It refers to a pull saw with teeth on both sides of the saw body. Typically ryoba have rip teeth on one side of the blade and crosscut teeth on the other, which allows the user to complete more tasks without having to reach for a different tool.

Do Japanese saws work on hardwood? I heard they're for softwoods only.

Yes they do work on hardwood, and there are even dedicated hardwood saws.

It is true that most Japanese saws have a "general purpose" tooth which is optimized for softwoods, but most users find that general purpose saws work fine on domestic hardwoods. If you expect to be doing much work on exotic hardwoods, a dedicated hardwood saw is a sound investment.

What are the main types of Japanese saws and what is each used for?

The most common in the world of furniture making and general carpentry are:

  • Ryoba - general purpose double-bladed saws, basically the "jack of all trades" in Japanese carpentry. Ryoba means "double-bladed".
  • Dozuki - very thin, very fine tenon saw with a rigid back used for precise work where accuracy really matters. Most commonly used for cutting the shoulders of tenons, which are often very visible. "Dozuki" means "with a spine", referring to the stiff back.
  • Kataba - contrasted with ryoba, kataba means "single edged". Kataba are similar to most western saws, in that they are typically dedicated to a single purpose (rip cutting, cross cutting, etc).
  • Azebiki - azebiki are a type of ryoba with a curved blade. The curve allows you to begin a cut in the center of a board, and are typically used for blind sliding dovetails. Azebiki means "ridge saw", referring to the curved contour of the blade.