Takemoto Sickle MFG — Japanese sickles and garden tools
Takemoto Sickle MFG is listed in Japan as 竹本鎌製作所. Miki Kajiya-Mura lists Takemoto under its sickle category, with product series covering mowing sickles, stainless mowing sickles, wood sickles, thin sickles, small sickles and the Sakle series.
That matters because Takemoto is not just one product. It sits in a practical Japanese garden-tool tradition where different blade shapes, handle lengths and edge styles are chosen for different jobs: cutting grass, harvesting stems, clearing weeds, trimming around beds and working in tight garden spaces.
Banshu sickle making
Miki Kajiya-Mura describes Banshu sickles as having roots after the Meiji Restoration, when razor-making techniques were applied to sickle production. It also states that Takemoto still uses old-style techniques together with machinery, while each blade edge is carefully finished by hand.
The practical result is what matters for the gardener: a sickle should cut cleanly, feel controllable in the hand and be easy enough to keep in working condition. A good sickle is not a decorative blade. It is a fast, direct cutting tool for jobs where secateurs or shears are the wrong shape.
How the Takemoto range fits together
- Choose the Sakle for longer-handled grass cutting, harvesting and light clearing work.
- Choose Banshu-style sickles for close weeding, edge work and controlled cutting around beds and borders.
- Choose Shozo stainless tools when rust resistance and simple maintenance matter more than traditional carbon-steel feel.
- Choose Doukan thick branch shears when the job moves from soft stems and weeds into thicker garden growth.
The Sakle series
The Takemoto Sakle carried by East West Tools is best treated as a controlled garden and harvest cutting tool. Use it for grass, stems and light harvesting tasks. Do not use it as a hatchet, pry bar or soil tool.
Care and use
Keep sickles and garden blades clean and dry after use. Remove sap, grass and soil before they harden, and store the edge protected. If the blade is carbon steel, a light coat of oil helps reduce rust risk during storage.
For the full range, browse the Takemoto Garden Tools collection. For similar cutting tools, see Japanese sickles and weeders, or use Japanese tool care and sharpening to keep the blades in working condition.
