Tasai Oire Chisel (Mokume Finish)

Where to find Tasai

If a search brought you here and we're showing sold out, the honest answer is that almost nobody in the US has Tasai chisels right now, ourselves included. Tasai's order book has been closed since at least 2025. If you have your heart set on Tasai, Dieter Schmid occasionally has stock and ships internationally, and Kurashige sometimes has individual items and ships to the US. Beyond that we're not aware of an English-language seller with stock. You may have luck searching in Japanese (田齋のみ), but beware of eBay and second-hand listings: their work is counterfeited. We do occasionally get the chance to buy odd lots, and we take it when we can.

If you're looking for quality you can buy today

The finest chisels we carry are the "Nezumi" Oire bench chisels by Fujikawa — a specially treated blue steel, with extra chrome and tungsten over standard blue #2, for a harder edge and longer edge retention. Carefully ground and finished, built to be sharpened and used for a lifetime. This is not a consolation prize: top-tier performance for a fraction of the price.

About Tasai Oire Mokume Chisels

Forged by Akio Tasai in Sanjō, Niigata Prefecture, these chisels combine a Tasai Special Blue Steel cutting edge with a striking wood grain-patterned (mokume) soft steel. As premium products they require less setup than typical chisels — the hoops are already set and the handles finished.

We have very limited stock of these chisels and do not expect to receive more: Tasai's order book is over three years long and closed to new orders.

About the Maker

Tasai chisels are made by a father-and-son team. Akio and Michio Tasai are widely regarded as the best living chisel-makers in Japan, and their work is known worldwide for its beauty and utility. Akio began his apprenticeship in 1952 at age twelve and has spent over 70 years refining his craft; his son Michio has worked alongside him at the Tasai Chisel Company since 1985.

Materials & Process

• Hard steel: Tasai Special Blue Steel
• Soft steel: Laminated layers of soft steel and other metals, dimpled and etched to form a mokume (wood grain) pattern
• Hardness: ~HRC 65
• Handle: Red sandalwood, with a hand-forged ferrule and ring