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Markcg said:
I know Mazaki often comes up in Kato discussions, but Mazaki learned knifemaking from Yamamoto-san at Yoshikane.

He visited with Kato for a few days to discuss Tamahagane forging, and they had plans to continue training before Covid put a stop to it. Sadly Kato-san has never had an apprentice, and when he closes shop, the brand ends.
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Yeh, thats my understanding. The Mazer/Kato relationship was very casual at best. Imagine if Carter or Shihan had apprenticed with a certified swordsmith making kitchen utensils. Opportunity missed.

I'm curious to know why Kato deliberately avoided taking on full-time apprentices. I'm sure many tried.
 
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Price in September 2022 from Bernal if I am not mistaken. What does this knife sell now for?
 

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I’m curious to how big the knife collecting/users population is. Mainly outside this forum.

I know each makers has their own unique following (usually local or social media) but I feel like people really over estimate the “market”. Obviously the market grew during COVID lockdown times. But is it growing at a rate to keep up with current supply?

I feel like a lot of people trying to get “rare” knives don’t have many options on where to sell. Eventually everyone gets fed, just takes time.

Buying a plain Kato just to try and move it in X amount of time just seems silly. You’re just going to list it here or on Ebay anyway…
 
Growth is weird... the chefknives subreddit died down so that has stunted growth but there is a large growing group on Facebook. Jiros are harder to get now than ever. There used to be a bunch sitting on BST, but you won't see that anymore. I don't expect a drastic change but things will definitely cool off a bit over time.
I agree with the "Everyone gets fed" thing. A lot of knives that used to be hard to obtain are easier now. Usually there's some hype, the maker has to slow output for some reason, etc, but eventually they catch up.
 
enrico l said:
I’m curious to how big the knife collecting/users population is. Mainly outside this forum.

I know each makers has their own unique following (usually local or social media) but I feel like people really over estimate the “market”. Obviously the market grew during COVID lockdown times. But is it growing at a rate to keep up with current supply?
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This is a really interesting question.

I do think that KKF is a bit of a bubble and it’s possible that the knife buying market isn’t as big as it seems from within the bubble. News that makes big waves here (e.g. Kiyoshi Kato’s apparent retirement) doesn’t even to cause a ripple in the outside world (search #kiyoshikato or #kato on Instagram and sort by recent, and you’ll find nothing - same on Reddit).

On the other hand, there’s been an obvious spike in demand over the last few years that extends well beyond KKF’s user base. I don’t think every one of those Takadas and Jiros that are getting bought up within seconds of release are “feeding” just the KKF market, right?
 
Bico Doce said:
I will never understand this one. People treating them like Pokemon, trying to catch them all just so they can sit in a display case unused. Every time I see a WTB for a BNIB FM I die a little
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I pretty much never get buying a knife and not using it just a little at least. Curiousity would kill me, be it a simple knife or an Ashi Honyaki I don't care
 
I'd like another FM someday besides my Togo Reigo.I regret selling my dama one and a 255.

But to think they are the end all and be all, and having like half a dozen of them in every steel is just dumb. I'll wait till I can get another for close to MSRP.
 
blokey said:
The most unbelievable thing to me is FM sell like hot cake while knives with literally the same smith and sharpener just sit. (eg. Yugiri)
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It is quite silly. I have hard regrets not buying a yugiri on sale at strata, I'd love the 225 tall k tip.

Look at Kagekiyo, and Hado. I think they offer similar levels of fit and finish, and performance, and I mean yeah they sell, but they don't fly off the shelves.
 
More_Gyutos said:
I’m starting to wonder if they will make any more. Save the odd three or four on Tosho, wasn’t the last significant drop like six months ago?
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The last update I’ve seen:

Kosuke is working on a sharpening workshop so if he's successful, he'll be able to produce more of them. It looks pretty close to completion.
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They’re one of those knife lines that I can see depreciating in value on the secondary market once the scarcity factor lessens.
 
They've always been slow. And I don't think the hype is unwarranted. It performs very well and has excellent FNF for the price. Hado FNF is not as good. Kagekiyo is, but it's more expensive. That being said, I don't understand trying to collect a bunch of them, nor paying ridiculous markups which kind of kills the value prop.

This isn't unpopular opinions but I think western makers are kind of overhyped, especially since most don't do customs or have customs slots anymore. Granted, I haven't tried every maker, but I've tried a few of the hyped ones and they're good, but they aren't cheap, and usually you have to settle for secondhand or buying a size that may not be ideal for you and having to act in seconds. Definitely more pizazz though.


Also the thick FM (baby kaiju) is awesome. It's a shame they don't produce more of it. No stone polish, but it's an awesome knife
 
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