Machida Isshi knvies?

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Those are stunners. But some of the damascus work reminds me of Hinoura.
 
Did anyone notice that the hollows on the the back of the kiridashi-kogatana are FORGED, not ground?
Pretty badass. Still not a sign the kitchen knives work well, but an indicator that he's gotten pretty darn good with that big, heavy hand hammer.

Machida5.jpg
 
I purchased for my collection two Machida Isshi Santoku 170mm and 175mm, made of Takefu V1 steel with 32 layers nickel kitaeji.

 
How much did they cost, and what is your opinion about this knives?
BTW they do look very nice!
 
Hey GGG, I think that yours was the post that first turned me onto these.

So they look great, appear to be well made, and are priced reasonably and in keeping with a damascus clad custom (more than some, much less than others) but how do they perform? Hows the grind? edge retention? Sharpening? The handles are pretty dramatic, but how do they actually feel to use them for a few hours?
 
I haven't used a Machida Isshi knife, so no first hand knowledge - but seem to recall reading somewhere that he is a former swordsmith who makes both the handles and blades entirely himself. He occasionally does razors (kamisori) and plane blades too. If memory is correct, all of his smith work is manual - no spring hammers etc. I've heard his work compared to Shigs and Heiji's .....

again, no first hand reference....but have heard nothing but high praise for his products.
 
CPD said:
I haven't used a Machida Isshi knife, so no first hand knowledge - but seem to recall reading somewhere that he is a former swordsmith who makes both the handles and blades entirely himself. He occasionally does razors (kamisori) and plane blades too. If memory is correct, all of his smith work is manual - no spring hammers etc. I've heard his work compared to Shigs and Heiji's .....

again, no first hand reference....but have heard nothing but high praise for his products.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that information is all in the link in my first post. His razors look freaking amazing too:
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CPD said:
but seem to recall reading somewhere that he is a former swordsmith who makes both the handles and blades entirely himself.
Click to expand...

From what I've read, I thought all Japanese knife makers are former swordsmiths. Usually 10th generation.
 
bikehunter said:
From what I've read, I thought all Japanese knife makers are former swordsmiths. Usually 10th generation.
Click to expand...

:lol2:

After watching the Murray Carter video on the mindset of the Japanese traditional bladesmith that Jon posted, I have additional respect for the what the knifemaker does so that my blade can perform at its best. Additional props to someone who decides to hand-hammer rather than using a spring hammer.

I'm off to purchase another gyuto from a 4th generation bladesmith. Ouch to my pocketbook.
 
It's all good,your purchase helps keep small forges going with quality blades:eek:utonlimb:
 
I have one, which I picked up from a store in Tokyo for about 700 US or so. I use in infrequently, but when I do I am always very happy with it. The handle is surprisingly comfortable, give the shape (you can see a picture of it via my signature link).
 
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