Wa-handle

A wa-handle (和柄) is the traditional Japanese counterpart to the riveted, often bolstered handles on Western-style knives (called yo-handles, 洋柄). A wa-handle is a simple wooden shape pushed onto a partial “hidden” tang and held by friction and a little glue, usually with a collar, or ferrule, of buffalo horn, pakkawood, or plastic where the wood meets the blade.

Common cross-sections are octagonal, oval, D-shaped, and chestnut (a rounded pentagon). The D-shape is normally cut for a right hand, so left-handed buyers should check. Wa-handles are lighter than Western handles, which shifts a knife’s balance toward the blade, and because they are friction-fitted they are cheap and straightforward to replace when the wood or the ferrule cracks, which usually starts at the ferrule if the handle is left wet.