Hori Hori - The One Gardening Tool I Can't Live Without
I’m the first to admit: half the reason I love gardening is because it allows me to get more tools. I adore digging in the dirt, turning compost, and tending to my precious plants more than most, but I also relish leaving the hardware store with a lighter wallet and an armful of wood and steel. Over the years, I’ve gravitated towards a few favourites. My square shovel is a trench-digging beast, my Yoshioka Hedge Clippers are indispensable, and my Stihl MS250 Chainsaw is my baby, but none are quite as versatile and reliable as my Nisaku Hori Hori.
The Hori Hori was likely invented for gardening and foraging as it is often called a ‘Leisure Knife’ or ‘Sansai Knife’, sansai being fiddleheads. The name Hori Hori was invented by an Western salesman, meaning ‘dig dig’ in Japanese (hori = dig). The name stuck, and now it’s the name almost everyone uses.
So what makes the Hori Hori so dang good? First off, it’s a bangin' trowel. Its narrow, pointy design makes digging holes for seedlings exceedingly easy. Second, it’s SHARP. If you run into roots while you’re digging, you can slice right through those suckers. I planted an apple tree this summer and ran into some thicker roots from the Manitoba Maple I cut down (IYKYK). They were too thick to hack through with the straight edge, so I simply flipped the Hori Hori over and blasted through them with the serrated edge. Got perennials you want to divide? The Hori Hori is the tool for the job. Stubborn weeds with mutant roots? Hori Hori can handle it. At only $40 CAD, they’re a steal!
For the perfectionist gardeners, the Hori Hori features a depth gauge in the middle of the blade, so you can get your seeds and seedlings to the precise depth they require. Speaking of handy, the Nisaku features a simple leather sheath. This protects the blade (and you) when it's not in use, but it also allows it to be mounted to your belt during more serious gardening sessions! Going foraging? Take your Hori Hori, the rugged blade is excellent for digging in the dirt and collecting that delicious Cow Parsnip. But don’t take my word for it, here’s a review from Wasyl B., a field botanist who’s been using one for over 25 years!
We recently welcomed a new member to our gardening tool family in the form of the Kondo Hamono Hand Forged Hori Hori. Kondo Hamono is a family blacksmithing shop near Tsubame Sanjo, and they're very good at what they do. Take a look at the tang on these - extremely sturdy, and fully forged out. Masashi Yamamoto-san, someone with an eye for detail, was so impressed by their work that he referred them to us. They're made from carbon steel, so they'll keep an edge well and be nice to sharpen, but are plenty tough enough for digging in the dirt, cutting through roots, etc. While this model lacks the bells and whistles that make the Hori Hori so versatile, the Kondo Hori Hori is unbeatable when it comes to sharpness and dig-ability. Ultimately, you’ll likely wind up with both!
