Last Updated on December 20, 2023
A list of the best Japanese gardening tools, known for their excellent performance and versatility, well worth investing your money in.
For busy folks who are pressed for time:
Hori Hori: Japanese gardening knife
✅The most popular and versatile Japanese gardening tool
- 7 inch high quality stainless steel blade
- a hand guard to protect your hand
- 5 year warranty
- makes a great gift
- perfect for gardening, metal detecting, camping, hunting and more!
*This post contains affiliate links. If you choose to purchase any of the products I have recommended, I may receive a commission at no cost to you.
IN THIS POST:
- the benefits of Japanese garden tools
- 11 best Japanese gardening tools (all of them are made in Japan) – reviews and what to use them for
- Japanese gardening knife: Hori Hori
- Japanese clearing sickle by Keyi
- Japanese ninja claw rake by Asano
- Japanese weeding sickle
- Japanese bypass pruners by Okatsune
- Japanese garden hoe / hand tiller by HACHIEMON
- Japanese handheld draw hoe by Nisaku
- Japanese sod cutter and remover by Nessagro Astron
- Japanese precision hedge shears by Okatsune
- Japanese crevice and sidewalk weeder by Nisaku
- Japanese Bonsai garden tool kit by Hanafubuki Wazakura
The benefits of Japanese gardening tools
Recognized internationally for their quality and craftsmanship, Japanese gardening tools are prized possessions for any gardener, because they are:
- cool 👍🏻😊
- built to last: made of harder steel that keeps their edge sharp for longer
- excellent performers
- sturdy, efficient, and won’t get ruined quickly due to rough use
- made for precision, thus allowing you to select the most suitable tool for your needs
- perfected over centuries for keeping manicured Japanese gardens in pristine condition
- require less sharpening and maintenance.
In addition, there is something special in owning and using a garden tool made in a far away land – makes you feel like you are a part of another culture. It might even start you on the journey of learning more about Japanese history. 😊
Anyway, Japanese gardening tools are worth investing every penny. And they make very special gifts for gardeners too!
11 best Japanese gardening tool reviews
Let’s overview some of the best Japanese gardening tools and their uses to help you pick the right tool for your gardening task.
1. Hori-Hori Garden Knife with Diamond Sharpening Rod
“Hori” (ホリ) means “to dig” in Japanese.
Hori Hori knife is often called a “soil knife”, “weeding knife”, “mountain vegetable knife” by gardeners, which already reveals its main purpose.
This professional Japanese gardening tool is an updated version of the 16th-century Japanese tool. It features a 7-inch blade made out of 420 stainless steel. The blade is marked with different measurements to help you plant bulbs and seedlings at a precise depth.
It’s designed to be extra strong with a full tang handle. The tool is secured with three rivets for added power. Even the sheath of this knife is of the highest quality and has extra thick leather for maximum protection.
The sides of the knife are sharp enough for cutting sod, roots and twigs (one side of the blade is serrated), the point of the blade is semi sharp.
Hori Hori is my husband’s favorite gardening tool. He strongly believes that you can take care of a container garden with just this tool. He got Hori Hori a long time ago after Paul James’, the master gardener of Gardening by the Yard HGTV show, recommendation.
Read more about the Hori Hori knife in my Essential gardening tools article.
WHAT IS A HORI HORI KNIFE USED FOR?
Think of Hori Hori as a tool that combines knife and trowel/shovel.
You can use it for:
- harvesting vegetables and herbs
- digging and weeding
- loosening soil around plants
- cutting vines and twigs
- planting bulbs
- cutting through the soil and roots
- measuring depth for planting bulbs
- transplanting
- dividing perennials
- removing plants
- sod cutting
- loosening compacted soil for driving vegetable stakes
How to use a Hori Hori knife?
Watch this YouTube video presented by Garden Ninja.
2. Japanese clearing sickle by Keyi
Also known as weeding sickle, this product features a very sharp blade with a tensile strength for added cutting power. The 13.8 inch hardwood handle of the KEYI Steel Grass Sickle allows users to experience maximum leverage and force. Due to its ergonomic, anti-slip design this Japanese clearing sickle is an ideal choice for gardeners from a safety perspective.
The tool is high-quality and hand-forged, so very simple and comfortable to use.
JAPANESE WEEDING SICKLE IS USED FOR
- harvesting or reaping grain crops
- cutting back forage
- cutting grass and weeds
- trimming vines
- cutting out branches
- edging lawns
- trimming undergrowth
3. Japanese Ninja Claw Rake by Asano
This best Japanese garden tool is a five-prong rake perfect for breaking up tough soil around the plants.
It’s made of tough, strong Japanese steel with an ever robust wood handle to do the job. The wood handle gives Asano Japanese Ninja Claw Rake and Cultivator a balanced and well-adjusted feel. Thanks to all the amazing features, it is surely an instant favorite for gardeners of all level skills.
WHAT IS JAPANESE CLAW RAKE USED FOR?
This powerful tool can accomplish a wide range of gardening tasks such as:
- aerating the soil
- weeding around plants
- digging up rocks
- tearing up the grassroots
- raking mulch around planted trees
- mixing compost into the soil
4. Japanese Weeder
This compact, high-quality Japanese weeder is the perfect hand tool for people with limited or tight gardening space.
This tool is just 13″ long. Being narrow, this weeder allows for precise cultivation without disturbing or ruining the neighboring plants.
Its durable blade is made out of forged high-carbon steel with heat-treated technology for extra strength and power. It has a comfy wooden handle that is great for routine use.
The best thing about this tool is the blade’s forward weight and a sharp edge that help you get through a tough job in a matter of a few minutes.
USE THIS JAPANESE WEEDER FOR
- cultivating around plants in tight spaces
- shaving the ground
- removing large weeds
- cutting of grass clumps and stalks
- soil clean-up
- clearing unwanted grass and vines
- digging and cutting out brush
- breaking up compressed topsoil
- leveling small gardening areas
- cutting weed roots
5. Okatsune bypass pruners
These high-quality, elegant Japanese bypass pruners deliver a clean and precise cut with every use.
Their razor sharp blades are forged from the highest quality Japanese Izumo Yasuki steel, from which traditional Katana swords (used by Samurai warriors) are made.
The pruners come apart for sharpening when needed. There is a special locking mechanism at the end of the handle for safety.
USE JAPANESE PRUNERS FOR
- general-purpose cutting
- close and clean cuts on branches
- clearing dead branches
- trimming overgrown shrubs and trees
- deadheading flowers
- snipping herbs from the garden
- chopping off thicker branches
- snipping away dead twigs
- thinning of the bushes and tree branches
6. Japanese garden hoe / hand tiller by HACHIEMON
You’ll love this hand tiller and will use it frequently for just about everything in your garden.
Nicely balanced, efficient, and comfortable to use, the HACHIEMON Japanese hand hoe/tiller illustrates excellent Japanese craftsmanship.
The tool is completely hand-forged and has an unfailingly sharp edge that is made to last. Its 15.3 inch long oak handle is durable, strong, and provides a good swing.
The tines (claws) on the cultivator end are cut from one flat piece of steel, rigid and won’t bend from tough jobs.
This versatile tool belongs in your garden tool collection for sure!
Read related:
USE A JAPANESE HAND TILLER FOR
This powerful tool can accomplish a wide range of gardening tasks such as:
- breaking up compacted soil with the blade
- pulling runner roots from under the ground with cultivator’s tines (claws)
- chopping out deep rooted weeds in the lawn
- digging trenches for underground sprinkler systems
- cultivating soil
- aerating and loosening up the soil
- pile soil around the plant’s base
- mixing of soil with compost, or fertilizers
- making furrows for trench composting
7. Japanese handheld draw hoe by Nisaku
This quality hand hoe is made from genuine, authentic Tomita Japanese stainless steel. The tool is extremely durable and bends resistant because it’s constructed with a shank that is forged in one piece to the blade instead of just being welded like most manufacturers do.
The blade is 4.5 inches wide – perfect for hoeing between rows – and made from rust resistant stainless steel, which provides easy maintenance. The comfortable handle is made from polished wood with a hook on the end, so you can hang it in the garage or shed.
USE JAPANESE DRAW HOE FOR
- hoeing between rows
- hilling potatoes
- shaping the soil
- weeding
- cleaning soil off of old crops and plant residues
- harvesting rooted vegetables, like beets, carrots and potatoes
- piling soil around the plant’s base
- digging soil for planting flower bulbs, onion sets, and potatoes
8. Japanese sod cutter and remover by Nessagro Astron
This Japanese garden tool is similar in shape to small pruning saws.
It’s wide, serrated 4.5 inch long blade goes through the thick mats of grass and through plastic netting on the back of bought sod, like through butter.
The handle does not disappoint you as well. It is completely textured, so never slips out of your hands even when they are covered in sweat.
If you need to install or remove grass – this tool is a must-have!
USE A JAPANESE SOD CUTTER FOR
- cutting through thick grass
- cutting through sod mats plastic netting
- removing old sod
- removing a thin layer of dirt under the grass
9. Japanese precision hedge shears by Okatsune
The Okatsune Precision Hedge Shears are extremely user-friendly and enjoyable to work with. And though they are on the pricier side, your expense might become your best investment, especially if you have lots of hedging plants to care for, or if you are interested in sculpting your boxwood or conifer hedge.
These shears are very sharp and are almost as easy to use as high-end electric shears.
USE JAPANESE HEDGE SHEARS TO
- cut number of branches simultaneously
- cut woody materials up to ½ inch thick
- remove dead branches
- give certain shapes to the shrubs
10. Japanese crevice and sidewalk weeder by Nisaku
What a nifty tool to get rid of weeds growing from your driveway or walkways, cracked expansion joints, or from between bricks, stone tiles, and concrete pavers on your patio! Just pull the tool along the crevice and the visible part of the weed will be gone. Keeps your property nice and tidy!
Japanese crevice weeder is made of corrugated stainless steel with a wooden handle on the top. This lightweight, easy to handle, and budget friendly tool makes a perfect stocking stuffer for any homeowner.
USE THIS CREVICE WEEDER FOR
- tearing the visible part of the weeds from cracks and crevices on your sidewalk, driveways, made of pavers patio, or brick edging
11. Japanese Bonsai garden tool kit by Hanafubuki Wazakura
This 3 piece bonsai starting tool kit for a beginner Bonsai enthusiast, comes with bonsai Satsuki scissors, broom, and tweezers with rake.
With the help of black carbon steel scissors you can execute accurate cuts on your Bonsai trees without inhibiting your plant’s growth or harming the branches.
The stainless steel tweezers will help you to do precise weeding without disturbing the plants.
A Bonsai broom (this is the only piece in this set made in China) is great for cleaning after working on your plants.
Clean, neat, and tidy Bonsai = serenity. I think I am getting a new hobby! 😊
USE THIS BONSAI GARDEN TOOL KIT FOR TAKING CARE OF
- bonsai
- orchids
- succulents
- AeroGarden
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Final thoughts on the best Japanese gardening tools
There you go! These are the best Japanese gardening tools. Every product on this list is well worth investing your money in.
These tools, imported directly from Japan, are of superior quality and much more efficient as compared to typical gardening tools available out there.
Many gardeners have augmented their garden tool collection with these versatile tools, and it’s time you do the same!
So what are you waiting for? Go and grab your favorite one now!
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