I'd really like you to talk a bit more about Sakai knife culture, especially as it relates to how "political" things are. I hear that statement a lot, both with respect to secrecy, as well as why certain smith and sharpeners won't work together.. but it's always left at that. I hear 'political', and I get a picture of spiteful, 'House of Cards'-esque one-upsmanship.. The smiths being friends with some people, and preferring to work with them I totally get. Or how a smith / sharpener might prefer single bevel, or only certain steels. So a much more in depth talk (with nameless examples, if possible) about it would be super fascinating.
I've heard random bits of 'a smith is careful not to pass an inferior blade to a sharpener, because the sharpener may decide not to take any more blades from that smith'.. but I'd love to hear much more.
Also interested in Dento kougeishi. How are they decided? Who decides? Does this play into the 'political' nature of Sakai knife culture? I've heard Yoshikazu Ikeda is the current president, having taken the mantel from his late-brother Tatsuo.. What all does that entail (his position, I mean). Are there different 'levels' of Dento kougeishi, such as new-inductees and 'Masters'? Does this affect the prices they can charge, or who they're "allowed" to work with?
Another question I have is with respect to your Gesshin Ittetsu line. In digging back, either through the forum, or wayback machine on your store, I'll see it sometimes referred to as 'Gesshin Ino'. I thought I remember you saying once (somewhere on the forum..) that'd you'd been intending to update the product page to Ittetsu, but couldn't find anything more on the subject. Did it have to do with one of the craftsman in that series changing? Or was it simply a more artistic / branding reason?
Interested in some of the history of knives, or especially Honyaki. A person can catch whisps of different names mentioned (Okishiba Masakuni, for example) of older, now-passed masters that helped pioneer such blades.. But it's hard to find much else. Also interested in how this relates to how people become renowned for Honyaki- I've heard one shop mention Shiraki-san and Ashi-san as being two of the most respected for Honyaki. In a forum post, I've heard you say you have much respect for Yoshikazu Ikeda-san. Is there an established hierarchy in how the craftsman view each others work? Or is it more akin to personal preference?
A couple questions on polishing: One, as it pertains to finishing a blade, using sandpaper vs stones.. When I hear people on the forum talk about refinishing a blade, I often here talk of a full progression of sand papers. When I see a video of Shigefusa finishing blades, it looks like they have a modified 'sen' that uses stones instead of blades.. Is there an advantage to sandpaper? Or is it just a different effect? The stones seem, from a completely inexperienced outside opinion, like they'd be much faster.. Is there a danger in that, with novice hands at the wheel? (over grinding / changing the geometry faster?) Is the sandpaper more of a go-between for people, as we enthusiasts don't often have a big stone wheel?
And another polishing question as it pertains to honyaki and hamon. In pictures of nihonto, it is common to see very clear lines of delineation between the hardened and unhardened steel, the kind I feel like I only see in the knife world when a person acid-etches. While I'd assume, of course, intricate lighting and photography work help to make this even more exaggerated looking.. I was wondering how all this is accomplished. Is this effect possible because of a tighter progression of natural stones, and more time spent? Or does it have much more to do with Nugui? How does Nugui compare to an acid-based etching? Or is that all just a ludicrous, enthusiasts pipe-dream that would take much more time than is realistic? (side note, I understand that the SHAPE of the hamon doesn't change because of polishing; I'm only asking about the contrast)
Question about sharpening: You talked about asymmetrical grinds on knives, and how they effect the cutting experience, and that this can be changed as a person needs. But I was wondering.. why do they do this in the first place, aside from the right-hand bias of the craftsman. Do they do this for a reason with respect to performance? Is there a perceived benefit to this asymmetry in double bevel knives, from the craftsman's perspective? Or is it entirely an unintentional consequence of a long history of single bevel knives and a right-hand preference?
I'm sure I'll think of more.. but these were what I was wishing I could have asked you while catching the rebroadcast of the Stream.
), regional differences...
