Understand the Japanese plane system first
Unlike Western bench planes, a kanna blade is not fastened to its wooden body — it is friction-fit, set by tapping the blade in with a hammer and adjusted by tapping the body. The dai (wooden body) must be conditioned, the sole flattened, and the mouth fitted to the specific blade. This is not a plug-and-play system. Budget three to five hours of preparation before your first shaving. This preparation work is not a bug — it is the practice that teaches you the tool.
Blade steel choices for plane blades
Plane blades are where Shirogami #1 and Aogami Super truly separate themselves from lesser steels. The extremely thin shaving a kanna produces — sometimes sub-micron thickness — demands a keener apex than even the finest chisel work. For a first blade, Shirogami #2 is the pragmatic choice: slightly easier to flatten the ura (hollow back), more forgiving sharpening, and capable of producing mirror edges. As skills develop, Shirogami #1 and then Aogami Super become compelling upgrades.
The ura — the defining feature
Every Japanese blade has a shallow hollow ground into its back face — the ura (裏). This hollow serves two functions: it reduces the contact area that must be flattened on a waterstone, making maintenance faster; and it creates a precise, thin edge apex when the blade is sharpened. As the ura wears through repeated sharpening, it must be periodically refreshed by a process called ura-dashi: carefully softening the hard steel with precise hammer blows to push new steel toward the edge. This skill is the mark of an advanced Japanese plane user.
Budget recommendations
Under $150: Affordable Shirogami #2 production blades from Miki workshops — excellent learning tools. $150–$350: Workshop-quality Shirogami #1 or Aogami #2 blades from reputable producers. The ideal price point for serious beginners. $350–$800: Named workshop blades (Tsunesaburo, Nagahiro) — these are instruments, not just tools. Above $800: Funahiro, Tasai, or Watanabe Waichi — for experienced plane users who have already developed the sharpening skills to unlock what these blades offer.
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