Ne-kaki, 2 tined root hook

A small hand cultivator or root hook hand made in a small workshop in Tsubame-Sanjo, Niigata Prefecture, central Japan. With two carbon steel hooked tines fixed to a shaped poplar wood handle, in Japan these are often used to clean soil from around the roots of transplanted specimens, particularly for bonsai, although they are also useful for cultivating small areas and pulling fibrous weeds and debris from amongst tightly packed borders. About 22.5cm overall length.