Love the thread! My take on it goes back to that romanticism aspect. To me, one person making the knife doesn't make it better, performance, fit and finish, or otherwise. One person making the entire knife has to deal with a lot including forging, heat treat, grinding, profiling, sharpening, handle making, fit and finish (round spines, polished, etc.), and handle installation. There are a lot of different tools and expertise to do all of these masterfully. I see nothing wrong with spending your entire life dedicated to mastering just sharpening, or just forging, and that's why I also find that most Japanese knives outperform just about anything else for much less money.
But also, if you look at the majority of Japanese knives, a lot is left to be desired. To me, their focus is mainly on the performance of the knife, and as you get into the Jiro's of the world, the fit and finish catch up. Compare it to western knife makers though, and it's a different approach to knife making. I find they're much more focused on looks, fit and finish, and of course performance, but there are definitely a lot of western knife makers out there who don't understand the fundamentals of making a knife cut well, no matter how pretty the knife is.
I also consider the money making factor. If there's someone just dedicated to forging, he can focus and knock out many more knives of great quality. It's then passed to a sharpener, who probably sharpens that blacksmith's knives all the time, making him proficient at sharpening them. And then it's fit up with a handle from someone who just shapes handles all day. This would lower the cost and time spent on each knife.
I'm always torn on this subject because the performance of most Japanese knives, even at that $200-$400 often rival some of the most expensive western makers. I get people in my shop who ask what makes a knife cost $1000+ and if they're better. My answer is often "better is subjective, but will it cut better? Probably not much better". You're mostly paying for that one person's time and experience at mastering all aspects of knife making (and maybe fancy handle materials).
As I'm entering my knife making journey, I sure can sympathize with anyone who takes on making their own knife from start to finish. So many details and choices that affect the final product. So I understand why someone making their own would want to, or needs to, charge a higher price. My knives are definitely not nearly as good as Jiro, but I can see why he charges what he does with the countless hours that go into each one.
