Williams Blade Design ‘Special Mission Project’ HZT 002 Hira Zukuri Tanto 6.5″ Fixed-Blade Combat Tanto Knife for Dynamic Close Quarters Battle/Close Quarters Combat (CQB/CQC) Edged Weapons Combatives and Military Special Ops!

By David Crane
david (at) defensereview (dot) com

Photo(s) Credit: Williams Blade Design (WBD)

October 30, 2017
Last updated on 10/30/17.

We here at DefenseReview (DR) are admittedly longtime fans of James Williams’ Japanese-style combat blade designs, starting with the original Williams/CRKT Hissatsu 7″ Osoraku-Zukuri-style combat blade, and continuing with tactical folders like the Williams/CRKT Otanashi noh Ken Osoraku-Zukuri tanto tactical folders (our favorite being the Veff Serations model), Williams/CRKT Shizuka Noh Ken, and Hieho with VEFF Serrations, and large fixed-blade tantos like the Hissou Fixed Blade and Shinbu Fixed Blade. Williams designed all of these blades to be utilized using his own dynamic CQB/CQC edged-weapons combatives techniques, and they all look the part. These knives are ALL business.

So, when DR found out about Williams’ limited-run “Special Mission Project” custom fixed-blade knives and axes, well, needless to say, we were intrigued. The model we’re covering in this piece is the Williams Blade Design (WBD) HZT 001 Hira Zukuri Tanto 6.5″, the follow-on project to the sold-out WBD HZT 001 Hira Zukuri Tanto 6.5″ custom combat tanto-blade knife, manufactured for Williams by Winkler Knives II.

Like the HZT 001, the HZT 002 will feature a Hira Zukuri (Iori Mune) Japanese tanto-style 80CrV2-steel blade with Caswell black-oxidized finish for enhanced corrosion resistance. Its grip/handle material (aka “scales”) will be brown burlap micarta that’s been texturized with the same “X” cutouts on the sides (mimicking sword wrap), and cross cuts top and bottom, for an enhanced gripping surface. It’ll also feature the same large triangular lanyard hole. Notice how well the HZT 001 Hira Zukuri Tanto’s micarta handle was executed, by the way.

The Williams Blade Design HZT 002 Hira Zukuri Tanto 6.5″ custom combat fixed-blade tanto knife will be offered in the same limited run of only 50 pieces, will come with a brown leather carry sheath, and is currently scheduled to be available by the end of the year (2017).

Defense Review looks forward to handling a WBD HZT 002 at some point, and perhaps even learning how to employ it effectively (in training). Unfortunately, we’ve never trained with Williams, but we’d very much like to. He’s an impressive instructor. Speaking of which, Williams has a new Nami Ryu Aiki Heiho online dojo under his The System of Strategy training division that’s worth checking out.

Editor’s Note: Accompanying photos show the WBD HZT 001, not the HZT 002, but the HZT will look very similar.

Company Contact Info:

Williams Blade Design
337 Melrose Ave.
Encinitas, CA 92024
Email: james@systemofstrategy.com
Website: https://williamsbladedesign.com

James Williams
The System of Strategy
337 Melrose Ave.
Encinitas, CA 92024
Email: james@systemofstrategy.com
Website: https://williamsbladedesign.com
Nami Ryu Aiki Heiho Online Dojo: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/namiryu

Daniel Winkler (Winkler Knives II)
P.O. Box 2166
Blowing Rock, NC 28605
Phone: 828-295-9156
Email: danielwinkler@bellsouth.net
Website: http://www.winklerknives.com

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