Antique Japanese Signed Tool Barrel Carving Plane Forged Iron Samurai Steel

 This is an antique Taisho Era (c. 1915) very barrel carving plane. It was used to carve the inside of barells as well as do paring work on inner surface that had a concave shape. The blade is made of laminated hand forged steel with the same process as is used to make traditional Japanese samurai swords.  There is a signature of the Japanese blade maker seen in picuture 5. The wood is kiln dried Japanese red oak with a nice aged patina. This kanna plane measures 7" long by 2 1/8" wide (18 x 5.2 cm). Having been well used yet well loved, along with an aged patina, some minor oxidation on the iron blade and a few checks in the Japanese red oad dai, it remains in good condition.