This is a traditional Japanese mallet that has been made with quality and care for centuries. Quality and workmanship are excellent. The carbon steel head is a carefully selected blend of ingredients that create the perfect balance of hardness and softness, resulting in the perfect woodworking percussion tool. The shape, size, weight and overall design of the head has so many uses. There are so many ways to use a hammer. The rounded face allows you to hit at an angle and with big swings. The flat surface is designed for small hits that need to be perpendicular at a 90 degree angle, making it ideal for hitting a rounded surface like a chisel head. Even the sides of the hammer head are made to hit. They enable you to use them in the tightest of spaces. The handle is made from a harder and denser variety of Japanese oak. It's a wonderful feeling. A wedge joint holds the hammer head on the handle. At 14.1 ounces, it's the perfect weight for the jobs it's built for. From starting and driving end nails to chiseling and setting planers, this is a finely crafted tool that any carpenter will appreciate.