Gyokucho Razorsaw Ryoba: Banshu Miki Japanese Pull Saw Guide [2026]

The Gyokucho Razorsaw is a ryoba (両刃, “two-blade”) Japanese pull saw — a thin-bladed hand saw with two cutting edges, one filed for crosscutting across the grain and one for ripping along it. It is made by Gyokucho Sangyo in Miki, a town in the Harima (Banshu) region of southern Hyogo Prefecture that has been one of Japan’s principal blacksmithing centers for centuries. Unlike a Western saw, it cuts on the pull stroke rather than the push.

That single mechanical reversal is the reason the tool has a following well beyond Japan. Pulling a blade keeps it in tension instead of compression, so the steel can be made much thinner without buckling. A thinner blade removes less material, which means a narrower kerf, a cleaner cut, and less effort per stroke. The Gyokucho line pairs that geometry with impulse-hardened teeth and a replaceable blade, which is why it shows up so often on the benches of woodworkers, dovetail cutters, and trim carpenters outside Japan.

This guide is written for an international reader deciding whether to buy one and how to get it shipped. It covers what the saw is, the Banshu Miki tradition it comes from, how to choose between the variants, where to buy it from outside Japan, what it does well, and where it falls short. A note up front on data: the fetched listing data for this item came back empty, so live pricing and the product photo were unavailable at the time of writing — every price below should be confirmed at the retailer before you buy.

🗓️ Published: May 29, 2026
🔄 Last updated: May 29, 2026
⏱️ Read time: about 9 minutes

Who this is for — and who should skip it

Product overview (from published specs)

The table below lists what could be confirmed from the source material. Where the fetched listing data was empty, the cell reads “Unconfirmed — check listing” rather than a guessed value. The store rows order the buying paths the way the rest of this guide does: Amazon US search first, then the Amazon JP Global Store where the specific item is sourced, then maker-direct and proxy routes.

Sources: Amazon US search (primary, tag moonill-20) + Amazon JP Global Store (secondary, tag moonill-22, sourced listing) + maker context. The fetched listing snapshot returned no pricing or photos, so several rows are marked unconfirmed.

Where this comes from — Banshu Miki, Hyogo

Hyogo Hyogo · Kansai

Miki sits in the Harima plain of southern Hyogo, the region historically called Banshu, inland from the port city of Kobe. It is a modest town by population, but in the world of Japanese hand tools its name carries real weight. Miki specializes in uchihamono — forged edge tools — and in particular the tools of the woodworker and the farmer: nokogiri (saws), nomi (chisels), kanna (plane blades), along with knives and sickles. The cluster grew up around access to good steel and a deep pool of smithing labor.

The trade’s origin is usually traced to a single catastrophe. In 1580, during Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s campaign to unify the country, the castle town of Miki was destroyed after a long siege. The rebuilding that followed drew carpenters into the ruined town, and where carpenters gather, blacksmiths follow to make and mend their tools. Over the Edo period that concentration of smiths matured into the recognizable Banshu Miki edge-tool industry.

“The cut happens on the pull, not the push — and that single reversal is why a ryoba can leave a kerf thin enough to read a pencil line through.”

What “still being made here” means in practice is continuity of method rather than nostalgia. The ryoba embodies a philosophy that runs through Japanese edge tools generally: thin steel, geometry chosen for control, and a cut that pulls toward the body. Gyokucho’s contribution is to take that traditional form and pair it with modern impulse hardening and a replaceable blade, so the tool keeps a fine edge longer and the user swaps a blade instead of fighting to resharpen hardened teeth. The provenance note for editors: Gyokucho Sangyo is based in Miki, Hyogo, so the Banshu Miki attribution holds — confirm the exact maker city on the live listing before publishing changes.

Which finish should you choose?

This piece is listed in 3 finishes. The photos below are the actual 色 options on the listing right now — pick the one you want and confirm it on the product page before ordering, since hand-finished wares vary slightly piece to piece.

両刃

🇯🇵 Amazon JP Global Store →

導突

🇯🇵 Amazon JP Global Store →

薄刃

🇯🇵 Amazon JP Global Store →

📌 How does it compare?

Other Japanese blade and craft guides on jpmono — including pieces from the same Hyogo cluster and from the major knife-making towns — worth reading alongside this one:

🧮 Banshu Soroban (same Hyogo town cluster)
🍵 Tanba Tachikui Ware (Hyogo)
🔪 Tojiro Sanjo Santoku
🔪 Echizen Santoku
🔪 Tosa Funayuki Knife
🔪 Sakai Deba Knife
🔪 Higonokami Folding Knife
🔪 Seki Damascus Santoku

📦 Shipping & where to buy from outside Japan

The specific saw covered here is sourced from the Amazon JP Global Store listing (item B000CEF5HC), which ships internationally to most major destinations. For US and EU readers, the most convenient first stop is usually an Amazon US search, which surfaces Japanese pull saws available with domestic shipping and USD pricing. If the exact Gyokucho model is only listed in Japan, the JP Global Store or a proxy forwarder (Buyee, Tenso) will get it to you.

Price snapshot across stores

Prices and availability shift; the figures here reflect the data available at the time of writing, which for this item did not include a live price. Verify at the retailer before purchasing. JPY is the authoritative currency for the sourced JP listing; any USD figure is an approximate estimate at a ¥150/USD baseline.

What it does well

Weaknesses and things to verify before buying

1. Relearning the stroke. If you are trained on Western push saws, the pull cut takes adjustment; early cuts may wander until the motion becomes natural.
2. Teeth cannot be refiled. Impulse-hardened teeth are too hard to resharpen at home — the system depends on buying replacement blades.
3. Blade is thin and can kink. The same thinness that makes the cut clean leaves the blade vulnerable to bending if forced, twisted, or pushed hard.
4. Not for rough or wet lumber. It is a fine-work saw; framing, demolition, or pressure-treated/wet stock will wear or damage it faster.
5. Replacement-blade sourcing. Spares may need to be ordered from Japan; keep one on hand to avoid downtime, and confirm the blade fits your handle model.
6. Unconfirmed specs in this dataset. Blade length, tooth count (TPI), and price were not present in the fetched data — confirm them on the live listing before buying.

Conclusion — which buyer type are you?

Other ways to approach this purchase

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❓ Frequently Asked Questions

jpmono.com is curated by a Japan-based editorial team (working out of Toyama in the Hokuriku region and Nara in Kansai) and is independent. We do not take payment from the makers we feature; income comes from affiliate links. We do not physically test every product — we read maker specs and source listings. Read more about our editorial standards.

This article was prepared with AI assistance and reviewed against the source listing data available at the time of writing. Specifications, pricing, and availability should be confirmed at the retailer before purchase.

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