Kato Alert

[Gjackson98]

He has had back issues for a long time now - at least a few years from all the sources that i have dealt with.

This is one of the many reasons that he no longer makes dammy Katos. To be fair, he doesn't make much of anything besides gyutos.

from what I have been told- he makes 1 knife every 2-3 days is a rough estimate.

Right on spot, I have received the exact same info

 

[maxim]

Ok need to clean up weird infos here First of all
Tamahagene Yanagi is much harder to make then sword, for Kato anyway, first of all because of the size thinner and hardness
Swords never made that hard as yanagi is, Kato use as much time for Yanagi then on sword as do all other sword makers
I asked ones sword polisher for price to polish Yanagi Kato it was same price as big sword was, again because of hardness thickness and shape etc
Also Tamahagene Kato uses is very old stock from his grand father that plays also in to the price and he finishes them only with Binsui, Kato is not a polisher
Kato do still make Swords and they are for sale in Tokyo sword shop, he also have them in stock. So this (but he’s not a good sword smith IMO.) it is weird unless you have seen and handled his swords

Second He still makes Damascus knives, he makes many single bevels still, many gyutos because of demand

 

[Luftmensch]

Kato is not a polisher

+1

Since swords have been mentioned... I am sure there is some set of folk here who are into Nihonto. For those who arent (and I am only peripherally aware); polishing is a craft in its own right. Polishing is done by specialists and can take longer than forging the blade. To twist the proverb: "it takes a village"....

Bottom line, a master blacksmith doesnt immediately equate to a master polisher. For that matter, a master swordsmith doesnt equate to a master knifesmith and vice versa!

 

[bahamaroot]

Aren't you guys going to call out Maxim like you do everyone else that contradicts or disagrees with you?

 

[nevin]

Sword's hardness isn't uniform in the whole plane (page 3):
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/3788/64685ec4e78c9d63973ce0cc916f44152aa0.pdf

The edge can go as hard as HRC 70 and gradually drop to HRC 40 or below.

 

[echou]

300mm Sakimaru Takobiki is up at JNS: http://www.japanesenaturalstones.com/yoshiaki-fujiwara-sakimaru-takobiki-300mm/

 

[Andrew]

300mm Sakimaru Takobiki is up at JNS: http://www.japanesenaturalstones.com/yoshiaki-fujiwara-sakimaru-takobiki-300mm/

Was this available when you posted it? I'm bummed I missed it!

 

[echou]

Yeah, the purchase link was live when I posted. Sorry you missed it

 

[Corradobrit1]

Yes, it was live when I logged on to the store. Just a shame I'd never find a use for that style of JKnife

 

[bkultra]

Reminder... You can not link to active auctions

 

[bm11]

Reminder... You can not link to active auctions

Sorry about that, I missed that rule.

 

[danemonji]

a brand new 230mm blue steel santoku/gyuto style kato and selling under 800 usd in Japan...it's an ongoing auction (4 hours to go) so i can't link it.

 

[Gregmega]

Link was broken, but I gave it a shot

 

[Gregmega]

Someone has a sniper bid on it. Just threw about 250 at it to test the water and no way that sniper is leaving it on the table.

 

[danemonji]

Sniper bids are placed 5 minutes before closing so there is a window of opportunity to place another bid

 

[Luftmensch]

a brand new 230mm blue steel santoku/gyuto style kato and selling under 800 usd in Japan

Nice shape.

800 USD? Since it is a bid, I am sure it will climb higher!

 

[danemonji]

It sold for 1265$

 

[Gregmega]

Sniper bids are placed 5 minutes before closing so there is a window of opportunity to place another bid

Not on that site. Read the details

 

[danemonji]

what are the chances of finding a damascus kato (240 or 210) for sale in our community?And what would be the price of that?

 

[F-Flash]

I think you can find one if you offer enough money. Probably somewhere between 3-5k

 

[danemonji]

3-5k? wow that's crazy

 

[lemeneid]

what are the chances of finding a damascus kato (240 or 210) for sale in our community?And what would be the price of that?

pfffft, i only want a western Kato kikuryu damascus

 

[minibatataman]

3-5k? wow that's crazy

Why would anyone let it go if not for a crazy amount of money though? It's not like it's easily replacable.

 

[danemonji]

When you need money on the short term for whatever reason....that's when people will sell for less than they imagine for. Otherwise why would anybody sell anything here

 

[McMan]

Why would anyone let it go if not for a crazy amount of money though? It's not like it's easily replacable.

Because this is what you could grab once it's sold
1--Isasmedjan
1-Dalman
1-Halcyon Forge
1-Marko
1-Kippington Honyaki
1-Catcheside
...and this is assuming it sells for $3k.
If it sells for $5k, then add..
1-TJA
1-Haburn
OR
1-Mert
1-Raquin
OR
1-Comet
5-really nice dinners

Seriously, I could see why, if someone bought a Kato dammy back in the day for a song, then they might want to sell it to try a bunch of new makers (or perhaps, if they're a collector, with the hopes that these new makers' work will appreciate over time and be a better investment than the solitary Kato).

 

[minibatataman]

Because this is what you could grab once it's sold
1--Isasmedjan
1-Dalman
1-Halcyon Forge
1-Marko
1-Kippington Honyaki
1-Catcheside
...and this is assuming it sells for $3k.
If it sells for $5k, then add..
1-TJA
1-Haburn
OR
1-Mert
1-Raquin
OR
1-Comet
5-really nice dinners

Seriously, I could see why, if someone bought a Kato dammy back in the day for a song, then they might want to sell it to try a bunch of new makers (or perhaps, if they're a collector, with the hopes that these new makers' work will appreciate over time and be a better investment than the solitary Kato).

That's nice and all but you can't use 10 knives at once can you
I'm not saying a Kato is better than all those, to some it is and to some it absolutely isn't.. which is my point I guess.. if you like it, why would you sell it for anything less than a stupid amount of money? But even your argument, you're talking about what you can buy IF sold for said stupid amount of money haha

 

[Corradobrit1]

Unicorns often sell around the $3K on KKF.... fairly regularly. I've yet to see a 210 or 240 Dammy in BST. The 240 will carry quite a premium over the 210 IMO as that is a more popular length. $3-5K depending on condition doesn't sound outrageous these days.

 

[danemonji]

I just checked BST and last damascus 210 sold for 2800 and it was brand new. If used or worse sharpened, the value would decrese dramatically.

 

[minibatataman]

I just checked BST and last damascus 210 sold for 2800 and it was brand new. If used or worse sharpened, the value would decrese dramatically.

Yea as crazy as it sounds, a 240 BNIB one would easily hit 5k. If there's someone willing to sell it, and someone willing to buy it, then why not?

 

[Corradobrit1]

I just checked BST and last damascus 210 sold for 2800 and it was brand new. If used or worse sharpened, the value would decrese dramatically.

Yeah, I remember that now. Must have blanked it out when I saw the price.