Watanabe?

I’m embarrassed to admit that I am not certain about the identity of one of my knives. (Actually, several, but that’s not immediately relevant.) I’m rather disorganized, and sometimes in the past when I have purchased a knife I haven’t labeled the box (or, if I’ve removed the knife and put it in a knife case, I haven’t labeled the knife). And although many of my knives are readily identifiable from a maker’s mark, in some instances I am unfamiliar with the kanji (and, as is the case with this one, can hardly make it out in order to compare it to pictures of other knives by the same maker).

A forum participant recently asked to borrow a Watanabe, and I am happy to comply – but am not at all sure whether I have singled out the correct knife. I’ve pictured the one I have which I think is the Watanabe I purchased a couple of years ago, and which I am pretty sure was this one:
http://www.kitchen-knife.jp/pro/gyuto.htm
In other words, according to my notes the one I purchased had been advertised as: Watanabe Pro Kurouchi Gyuto 180mm Total length: 320mm, Width: 45mm, Thickness: taper spine 4.5 - 1.6mm, Double bevel Blade: Yasuki blue steel core with stainless outer, Handle: burnt chestnut wood

Can anyone confirm that the knife I’ve posted picture of is indeed a Watanabe?

Thanks,
Larry

It is an Itinomonn.

Let's see if I can make this work...

ETA - This is my Wat Nakiri which is my instagram avatar. See if you can zoom in and get a better look at the Kanji.

Marcelo Amaral said:

It is an Itinomonn.

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Sure is...

Ugh! Thanks guys. Really appreciate your help. Apparently the pictured knife is the 210mm KU white #2 Itinomonn I picked up a few years ago from JNS.

So my Watanabe is MIA. I'm optimistic it will turn up -- i.e., I'll recognize it when I see it.

Sure itinomonn

Nice one!! Don't sell it!!

You've got too many knives if you can't remember which is which.

I'm not saying that's a bad thing.........

OliverNuther said:

You've got too many knives if you can't remember which is which.

I'm not saying that's a bad thing.........

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Definitely guilty as charged. (But it's not simply a matter of having too many knives (by most "normal" standards; it's compounded by my disorganzation, as well as inadequate knowledge, etc.)

Marcelo Amaral said:

It is an Itinomonn.

Click to expand...

Yep.


Two Watanabe knives I had in the past. The top one is 180mm "PRO" line gyuto.

I remember Maxim had done a small run of iron clad Ichinomonn line knives a while back, and yours looks like one of them.

icanhaschzbrgr said:

. . . .

I remember Maxim had done a small run of iron clad Ichinomonn line knives a while back, and yours looks like one of them.

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You're almost certainly correct. According to my notes, it was purchased as part of the run he publicized a couple of years ago on KKFora:
http://www.kitchenknifefora.com/threads/group-buy-suji-210mm.1062

You will certainly recognize your wat when it turns up pretty much unmistakable in identity unless you have a Toyama too....

Dirt said:

You will certainly recognize your wat when it turns up pretty much unmistakable in identity unless you have a Toyama too....

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Yes, I also have a couple of Toyamas -- but the sizes are different, so presumably I can nevertheless distinguish them from the Watanabe based solely on size.