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Head with black forged finish and the shop label

Hammers

Yamanaka Daruma, Japanese joiner's hammer with a handmade handle

Yamanaka, Echigo-Sanjō

Item passport

Maker
Yamanaka, Echigo-Sanjō
Country
Japan
Dating
The head is old stock of unknown year. The handle dates from September 2026.
Condition
A working hammer with an old Japanese head and a handmade handle. The black finish of the head, the stamps and the shop label are preserved. The handle shows the beech grain with…

Dimensions

  • head mass nominal g570

A round Daruma gennō: a compact, massive steel head with two striking faces, a rectangular eye and a black forged finish, nominally 570 g. Made for joinery work; in the workshop it is used, among other things, to adjust a Japanese kanna plane. The beech…

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History

A round Daruma gennō: a compact, massive steel head with two striking faces, a rectangular eye and a black forged finish, nominally 570 g. Made for joinery work; in the workshop it is used, among other things, to adjust a Japanese kanna plane. The beech handle was made and fitted by the owner, with broad flats, rounded sides and a flared butt.

Dating. The head is old stock of unknown year. The handle dates from September 2026.

Parts and their origin

Body Yamanaka, Japan
Yamanaka
Steel head, black forged finish, 570 g (nominal). Old stock.
Handle · replacement
Beech, made by the owner in September 2026; Danish oil and wax.

Marks and stamps

  • documented

    Maker's stamp on the head.

  • documented

    Surviving shop label on the head (old stock).

Restoration

Handle: September 2026, shaped to the narrow side of the eye (about 10.4 mm at the entries, 9 mm in the middle). On 15 September the wood at the entry was lightly compressed with a steel hammer, and the head was seated with a wooden mallet struck on the handle end (about 20 minutes). Finish: Danish oil and wax. Use of a wedge or glue is not confirmed.

Work history

  1. September 2026: a beech handle was made and fitted to the eye of the head; after shaping, Danish oil and wax were applied.
  2. 15 September 2026: the head was seated on the handle with a wooden mallet (about 20 minutes); the wood at the entry had been lightly compressed beforehand.

Sources

Research status

The catalogue head dimensions (about 88 × 34 × 35 mm, eye about 27.5 × 10 mm) refer to the model, not to a measurement of the finished hammer. The final handle length, number of oil coats and sanding grit are not recorded.

Purchase and price

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