Nisaku Compact Hori Hori Japanese Garden Knife

Nisaku Yamakodachi Short Hori Hori

Nisaku built the Yamakodachi for gardeners who kept leaving their hori hori behind because it was too much tool for the job. The name translates roughly to "mountain small sword," which sounds a bit dramatic until you actually use one.

Everything that made the full size version a fixture in Japanese gardens carries over, just scaled down. The concave blade scoops soil the way a trowel only wishes it could. One edge is ground sharp for clean cuts through stems, twine and packaging. The other side is serrated, which is exactly what you want when you hit a root system with opinions.

The shorter blade means it disappears into a kit bag or a bucket of tools. Potting up seedlings, lifting weeds out whole, trimming roots before a repot, splitting open a bag of mix. It travels well too, so it earns a spot on hikes, foraging walks and bushcraft trips where a full length blade would be overkill.

Stainless steel keeps the rust off and holds an edge longer than it has any business doing. We can confirm this, because one of ours spent several weeks lost in a garden bed and came back none the worse for it.

The varnished hardwood handle sits comfortably in the hand and the balance falls close to your grip, so there's nothing to fight. The synthetic leather sheath protects both the edge and your fingers, and loops straight onto a belt.

This is the part we love about Japanese tools. Nothing decorative, nothing extra. A design refined until it worked properly, then left alone.

Specifications
Blade Length: 130 mm
Total Length: 250 mm
Weight: 120 g
Blade Material: Stainless Steel
Handle: Varnished Hardwood
Sheath: Synthetic Leather
Made in Japan