Why is the Konosuke Fujiyama more in demand than other Konosukes?

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Cyrilix

Cyrilix

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I always see the Fujiyama knives out of stock in some form or another. What makes this line especially popular compared to other lines? I imagine this must be driven by the knife's performance? If not, what is the line that performs to the highest standard most of the time against most kitchen tasks?
 
Who knows, they’ve changed yet again. Back in the day a few retailers would get maybe 40 or 50 a year and they would sell out in a few minutes. The real nice old school ones were 330 bucks for a 240 in white 1 or blue 2. Today if the same guys were making them I could see them selling for a grand or more.
 
Chicagohawkie said:
Who knows, they’ve changed yet again. Back in the day a few retailers would get maybe 40 or 50 a year and they would sell out in a few minutes. The real nice old school ones were 330 bucks for a 240 in white 1 or blue 2. Today if the same guys were making them I could see them selling for a grand or more.
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What has changed? Do they perform better today compared to before? I guess when I look at knives and asking prices, I always look at the competition. What am I paying for here that I can't get elsewhere (perhaps in an even better package)?

Hence, I ask myself why I would wait forever for a Fujiyama 240 blue#1 when I can get a MM Ginsan or a GS+?

The question goes even further when I ask why buy a Konosuke MM Ginsan instead of a Tanaka Ginsan or a Mazaki Ginsan? All of these smiths seem to make great knives so what would cause one to command a higher premium?
 
I’m an mm guy myself. The gs+, the hd2 are great performers, but the mm is the best of the bunch to me. I was able to directly compare the mm to the fm, and well, I sold the fm and kept the mm.
 
5698k said:
I’m an mm guy myself. The gs+, the hd2 are great performers, but the mm is the best of the bunch to me. I was able to directly compare the mm to the fm, and well, I sold the fm and kept the mm.
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Do tell! What convinced you to keep the MM over the other ones or what did you like more?
 
The mm was/is the best all around performer. The gs and hd2 are pure lasers, making them a bit more specific. The fm is a good knife, but it just didn’t feel as natural in my hand. The mm works. There is no effort, yet it feels solid. It will perform with the lasers, yet it will do middle weight tasks easily.

Simply, the mm is the only Konosuke I still own.
 
Cyrilix said:
What has changed? Do they perform better today compared to before? I guess when I look at knives and asking prices, I always look at the competition. What am I paying for here that I can't get elsewhere (perhaps in an even better package)?

Hence, I ask myself why I would wait forever for a Fujiyama 240 blue#1 when I can get a MM Ginsan or a GS+?

The question goes even further when I ask why buy a Konosuke MM Ginsan instead of a Tanaka Ginsan or a Mazaki Ginsan? All of these smiths seem to make great knives so what would cause one to command a higher premium?
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Honestly, I haven’t paid a whole lot of attention since the last of the original blue 1s were made a few years ago. The sharpener/polisher has changed. I have a few of them left, maybe I’ll dig one out and take some pics and you can see for yourself.
 
5698k said:
The mm was/is the best all around performer. The gs and hd2 are pure lasers, making them a bit more specific. The fm is a good knife, but it just didn’t feel as natural in my hand. The mm works. There is no effort, yet it feels solid. It will perform with the lasers, yet it will do middle weight tasks easily.

Simply, the mm is the only Konosuke I still own.
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Much appreciated. Would the Fujiyama also be very similar to the MM?
 
Second one down.
Second to last is kono Fuji bunka blue 2.
Don’t make em like they used to.

CB35BCC5-2155-4BC3-BDF4-7E5707D8C9ED.jpeg
 
It’s an old Kato 240 that used the micro sumi Damascus that he used on his hunters. There’s like 10 times the pattern in a smaller scale. It’s mesmerizing.
 
I have one of the early fujiyama 240 in white #1, paid just over 300 for it as I recall and its similar to chicago's in the post above (although I think his bevels are nicer than mine was new). The wide bevel was kind of different back then and not too many of them were around. But honestly, the wide bevel was simply ground out on a round wheel, meaning it was somewhat concave and needed a lot of work if you wanted it to be flat. Over the years I ended up making the sides slightly convex (hamaguriba) with a microbevel, and it's a top performer. It looks totally different now - semi-mirror polished over the entire blade (full mirror is too sticky). From the original grind, the heel has some structure to it (although not a workhorse by any means), and a very thin tip. Steel is somewhat chippy if you just sharpen per the bevels (hence the microbevel) but great heat treat and the white-1 is incredibly sharp.
 
Hbeernink said:
I have one of the early fujiyama 240 in white #1, paid just over 300 for it as I recall and its similar to chicago's in the post above (although I think his bevels are nicer than mine was new). The wide bevel was kind of different back then and not too many of them were around. But honestly, the wide bevel was simply ground out on a round wheel, meaning it was somewhat concave and needed a lot of work if you wanted it to be flat. Over the years I ended up making the sides slightly convex (hamaguriba) with a microbevel, and it's a top performer. It looks totally different now - semi-mirror polished over the entire blade (full mirror is too sticky). From the original grind, the heel has some structure to it (although not a workhorse by any means), and a very thin tip. Steel is somewhat chippy if you just sharpen per the bevels (hence the microbevel) but great heat treat and the white-1 is incredibly sharp.
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Is the current Fujiyama significantly different than the one you have?
 
I haven't used the FM so can't comment. I have used other Fujiyamas based on the original version (earlier ones), and I feel that they improved their bevel but overall grind and profile are similar if not exactly the same. They offered more steel varieties in these series as well, with the original only in white 1 and blue 1 (I think? chicago said blue 2, but I do remember having to decide between white 1 and blue 1). The newer fujis don't have the well defined wide bevels and appear to have more convex grind, so yes they've evolved.
 
Hbeernink said:
I haven't used the FM so can't comment. I have used other Fujiyamas based on the original version (earlier ones), and I feel that they improved their bevel but overall grind and profile are similar if not exactly the same. They offered more steel varieties in these series as well, with the original only in white 1 and blue 1 (I think? chicago said blue 2, but I do remember having to decide between white 1 and blue 1). The newer fujis don't have the well defined wide bevels and appear to have more convex grind, so yes they've evolved.
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That does sound like some pretty significant changes. Enough to be a completely different knife. The way I see it, you are generally paying for the name, heat treat, profile, grind, finish, and handle. Opinions presented here claim that heat treat is great. I believe the Fujiyamas are supposed to all be made by Yoshikazu Tanaka.
 
Cyrilix said:
Is the current Fujiyama significantly different than the one you have?
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The new Fujis are different than old fujis. Totally different in the white line and maybe closer in the blue line. Im sure the new ones are nice knives, but I really wouldn’t try to put them as close to the older ones. The old fujis and HDs are what made konosukes reputation what it is today.
 
Midsummer said:
They made them (the old fujiamas)in white 2 also but with a different grind.
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Yep, white 1&2 and blue 1&2. Those old white 2s had a unique grind almost like today’s Ikeada grinds. In fact it wouldn’t surprise me at all if it were revealed that ikeada indeed was the smith for the early white 2s.
 
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