Kaiwon Guwa: Japanese Grubber/Hoe

Very dense high carbon Japanese mountain steel on a long Japanese oak handle. This is the ultimate weeding, mounding and digging device. Properly cared for, oiled and sharpened this tool will last a lifetime. Handmade in Japan.

I fell in love with the Kaiwon Guwa while working for Dr Keith Hammett. He had a 25 year old sample from Japan. I "borrowed" it in exchange for Chardonnay. It was never returned and now I'm importing this trusted and reliable tool. 

The Kaiwon Guwa has a heavy steel head with a oak long handle. The head weight is ideal for removing the top 20mm of soil and grass roots when establishing new garden beds without removing the valuable soil below. Bend your knees and use the steel head's weight; it's light work. This tool has saved my back and has never let me down.

Swinging the Kaiwon Guwa like a grubber with the steel blade at a 40 degree angle will cleanly remove deep rooted weeds such as buttercup, dock, gorse and wooly nightshade.

Using the steel head parallel to to grass will cleanly remove the top 15mm of roots while leaving behind valuable bio diverse rich topsoil. 

Linseed oil should be applied to the oak handle and steel head when your Kaiwon Guwa arrives. Sharpen the single edge blade at 15 degrees with a rough file, then a diamond file or fine sandpaper. Remove the burr from the opposite side at this stage. Finish with a diamond file then oil with linseed or ideally camellia oil.  Camellia oil was used by the samurai to maintain their swords.

For more information watch our videos on YouTube for tool conditioning, application on the farm or nursery and tool maintenance.