On March 12, 1986, “Nomi”(chisel), “Kanna”(plane), “Chona”(adze), and “Masakari”(broadax) were designated as a traditional craft by the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry as a result of the efforts of the people who supported Echigo Yoita Uchihamono.
In order for Echigo Yoita Uchihamono to be a traditional craft, the following conditions are required.
1．The materials are iron and carbon steel, and they must be heated in a furnace and forge welded by hammering.
“carbon steel wrapping the wing” for “Nomi”.
Forge welding “Dead Soft Steel” and “Steel” to “Wrought Iron” at once for planes that use wrought iron.
2. For molding, “heat iron in a furnace, hammer it out, and spread it out.”
3. The entire joint of the “Masakari”(broadax) should be “matched”.
4. The “Boss” and “Chest” of the “Chona”(adze) are joined by “body tightening”.
5. Quenching of “Nomi”(chisel) and “Kanna”(plane) should be done by “mud coating” and “quenching”.
6. “sharpening” and “finishing” are done by “manual work”.
Finally, it is a designated requirement that the manufacturing area is “Yoitamachi, Mishima-gun” (currently Yoitamachi, Nagaoka City).
Applications of Echigo Yoita Uchihamono
鑿 “Nomi”(chisel)
It is used for processing traditional Japanese techniques such as wood joinery (a technique for joining wood without using nails), and is indispensable as a tool for carving wood. There are tapping chisel that is used by hitting the tail using a hammer to, and poking chisel that is used by poking with both hands.
鉋 “Kanna”(plane)
It is used as a tool for flattening wood. Recentry, it is used to beautifully finish the wood surface, and the cleanly ground wood surface repels water and the surface reflects like a mirror.
鉞 “Masakari”(broadax)
One of the axes, which has a wide blade width and is constricted on one side, is called a “Chona”. It is used to scrape off the sides of logs to make square timber.
釿 “Chona”(adze)
It is used as a tool for rough cutting logs and square timbers, such as finishing beam materials for wooden houses. It is also used for design purposes because of its characteristic shaving marks in modern times.
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