Differences in kato's

[Davidh]

I see knives listed as kato's for around 200 to 300 usd at places like cktg,and I also see some guys asking 1000 dollars for a kato in the classifieds. What are the differences in these knives besides the obvious price difference?

 

[Maccne0718]

I believe the cheaper ones come from yoshimi kato or maybe hiroshi kato, and the more expensive ones are kiyoshi kato. They’re different makers, and the more expensive one is a licensed swordsmith and is more sought after.

 

[limpet]

Good call posting this question before making a purchase. This is one of the most common name mixups I see on the forums. Others are Tanaka and Ikeda. When it comes to knives made by Kiyoshi Kato, I wish people would use the brand name instead: Yoshiaki Fujiwara. But I guess someone thought ”Kato” was simpler and perhaps sounded more cool, maybe a Green Hornet fan?

 

[Maccne0718]

I thought Yoshiaki Fujiwara was the brand name from JNS? Are the standard Katos also called that? Or am I wrong?

 

[jacko9]

Yoshiaki Fujiwara is the Sword Makers brand name. His products from JSN carry the "Workhorse" designation.

 

[aboynamedsuita]

Good call posting this question before making a purchase. This is one of the most common name mixups I see on the forums. Others are Tanaka and Ikeda. When it comes to knives made by Kiyoshi Kato, I wish people would use the brand name instead: Yoshiaki Fujiwara. But I guess someone thought ”Kato” was simpler and perhaps sounded more cool, maybe a Green Hornet fan?

It also annoys me when I hear “fujiwara” knives, usually referring to Teruyasu Fujiwara… or as some say TF TF TF !

 

[Corradobrit1]

Did someone say TF?

 

[panda]

all the noobs with money want one.

 

[Corradobrit1]

Think I paid $150 for mine back when the $ bought more yen and MSRP was less. Hardly a wallet-buster. Ah the good old days.

 

[aboynamedsuita]

I once got a kato gyuto from japan in 2016. I had to pay the 8% consumption tax and with EMS shipping and PayPal conversion fees it was just over $300USD. Fast-forward a few years and I’ve seen katos sell for 3-4x (or more) what I paid, even when they were selling for $500-600 new… its madness

 

[jacko9]

I just checked back and seen that I payed $540 for my Kato 210 Gyuto in 6/2016 that was shipped to my door price.

 

[limpet]

This thread is starting to go off topic. Just sayin’.

 

[Ruso]

I had a kato gyuto in hand for $350ish back in 2015. I did not buy it - biggest knife related regret for now.