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Please help me to get a better understanding of the connections between some of the figures in the knife industry and clear up any misconceptions I might still have.
As I think I understand it now, pending corrections:
Ikeda Yoshikazu is a bladesmith, as was his late brother Ikeda Tatsuo, but they have no connection to the company Ikeda which manufactures, among others, Akifusa and many of the SRS-15 knife lines. There is also the smith Ikeda Takumi, who is not related to the aforementioned Ikeda brothers nor connected to the Ikeda company?
Shigefusa is the trade name of the blades wrought by Iizuka Tokifusa, and his son Iizuka Yoshihide who also makes Yoshihide blades, but not Hide which are made by Yamamoto Hideaki, unrelated to Yamamoto Nao. The elder Iizuka learned under Iwasaki Shigeyoshi as did Heiji who is Heiji V? Are "Iwasaki special steel", "Spicy white steel", and the Swedish carbon used by these two smiths all the same steel?
Takayuki Shibata (not sure which is the surname) is a sharpener/profiler and the founder of the Masakage company/brand but not connected to Sakai Takayuki, or is he? He also designed and produces the Shibata line of knives; is he the forging smith too?
Kato Kiyoshi is "the" Kato, but Kato Hiroshi is not related to him and does not work with him?
Watanabe Shinichi and Toyama have a family connection: Toyama's father learned under Watanabe's grandfather or great-grandfather? I know that there is a place named Toyama; is Toyama the name of the smith who makes the knives or the place where he makes them, and is Noborikoi a person's name or a trade name?
I don't have enough experience or budget for any of this to make a practical difference in my selecting knives, but I want to know correct information and not harbor or disseminate (or purchase on!) incorrect information. This is mainly why I want to learn Japanese, though I may have to wait until the winter to really have time to do it; I'm imagining myself explaining to a non-English speaker the difference between Robert Johnson, Tommy Johnson, Johnson Guitars, Johnson Controls, and Johnson & Johnson.
Thanks everyone!
As I think I understand it now, pending corrections:
Ikeda Yoshikazu is a bladesmith, as was his late brother Ikeda Tatsuo, but they have no connection to the company Ikeda which manufactures, among others, Akifusa and many of the SRS-15 knife lines. There is also the smith Ikeda Takumi, who is not related to the aforementioned Ikeda brothers nor connected to the Ikeda company?
Shigefusa is the trade name of the blades wrought by Iizuka Tokifusa, and his son Iizuka Yoshihide who also makes Yoshihide blades, but not Hide which are made by Yamamoto Hideaki, unrelated to Yamamoto Nao. The elder Iizuka learned under Iwasaki Shigeyoshi as did Heiji who is Heiji V? Are "Iwasaki special steel", "Spicy white steel", and the Swedish carbon used by these two smiths all the same steel?
Takayuki Shibata (not sure which is the surname) is a sharpener/profiler and the founder of the Masakage company/brand but not connected to Sakai Takayuki, or is he? He also designed and produces the Shibata line of knives; is he the forging smith too?
Kato Kiyoshi is "the" Kato, but Kato Hiroshi is not related to him and does not work with him?
Watanabe Shinichi and Toyama have a family connection: Toyama's father learned under Watanabe's grandfather or great-grandfather? I know that there is a place named Toyama; is Toyama the name of the smith who makes the knives or the place where he makes them, and is Noborikoi a person's name or a trade name?
I don't have enough experience or budget for any of this to make a practical difference in my selecting knives, but I want to know correct information and not harbor or disseminate (or purchase on!) incorrect information. This is mainly why I want to learn Japanese, though I may have to wait until the winter to really have time to do it; I'm imagining myself explaining to a non-English speaker the difference between Robert Johnson, Tommy Johnson, Johnson Guitars, Johnson Controls, and Johnson & Johnson.
Thanks everyone!
