Futatsu Wari Moku Hanga To - From top to bottom:
Hangi To (knife), Aisuki (bull-nose chisel), Sankaku To (v-gouge), Komasuki (u-gouge)
These professional tools are designed specifically for hand carving wood for woodblock prints.
The blades on all of these tools can be repositioned or replaced. Slip off the brass ferrule and the two-part handle will swing open like a fan. Each blade is carefully fitted into the handle and held in place by a hook at its end. The hangi to has a one-piece handle, and its blade may also be removed by slipping off the ferrule.
Carving with an Aisuki
Image from Moku Hanga by Akira Kurosaki
The short length of the komasuki, sankaku to, or aisuki allows them to be placed at the intersection of the thumb and the index finger, not in the palm as with Western knives, and controlled with the fingers of the free hand. This position takes some getting used to, but gives better control once mastered. Don't give up until you learn this technique!
The knife or hangi to may be held in several ways depending on the cut being made. Sometimes it is gripped with the whole hand, thumb pushing down on the handle's end, with the free hand guiding it in the cut. At other times, the hangi to is held like a pencil, with the free hand pushing or pulling it along.
The blade sizes of the sankaku to and komasuki are based on measuring across from one side of the top of the V or U to the other. The sizes of the hangi to and aisuki are found by measuring the blade horizontally from edge to edge.
All of the tools are about 5" (12.5cm) in length. The handles are kaba (birch) and individually fitted to each blade. The ferrules are brass. Tools of this quality cannot be mass produced. Each knife is truly a unique handcrafted work of art, and a fine tool to be treasured and meant to last a lifetime.