In the area of wood carving knives -- or blades, in general -- those made in Japan are among the highest quality in the world. Japanese hand-forged carbon steel knives have superior cutting edges and are of beautiful workmanship. The type, edge, make, hardness and bevel angle of available Japanese carving knives are extensive, but all have a reputation for being sharper and easier to re-sharpen than their counterparts from other countries.
Designed for cutting softwoods primarily, Japanese gouges tend to have a shallower bevel angle -- between 20 and 35 degrees -- and are made of harder steel, allowing more pressure and less chipping of the blade. Like their chisel and knife counterparts, Japanese wood carving gouges are made of a harder steel than typical Western gouges, rated at Rc60 and above on the Rockwell hardness scale whereas the majority of Western wood carving tools fall in the Rc58-60 range.
Although they come in a variety of shapes to suit different cutting purposes, Japanese steel-bladed chisels, called "nomi," can be divided into two broad categories: the striking chisel (tataki-nomi) and the finishing chisel (shiage-nomi). According to the Takenaka Carpentry Tools Museum, "[t]he striking chisel is used to carve a mortise, or shave off the lateral sides of a groove.... The finishing chisel is used to finish the surfaces first worked by the striking chisel, or those narrower surfaces that cannot be finished using a plane." Most chisels have long handles and narrow blades to facilitate use solely by hand, without the aid of hammers or mallets.
Wooden mallets, called "ki-zuchi," are used to strike another wood-carving tool or for inserting or extracting the edge of a blade. Mallets come in a variety of sizes and styles, depending on the preference of the carver and the project at hand. Most mallets are simple in shape and design although some are ornate and fashioned of rare hardwoods. Mallets have a hole in the handle for hanging on shop walls.