Kato std, wh or ku

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Guys that's a brushed metal finish meant to help with food release not grinder marks. There are many smiths who use this to make a mate metal rather than a glossy finish. The sen is used to scrape metal in order to "carve" the face of the knife and give the righ convexity. I doubt these guys use a coarse grinder in the process of making the knives. That is not a german factory. They will use a file to round the choil or back of the knife and the rest is water stones of various grits. I bet Maxim could offer some details about the process that kato shigefusa and other older smiths use to make the knives and swords, or you can check it on youtube.
 
danemonji said:
Guys that's a brushed metal finish meant to help with food release not grinder marks. There are many smiths who use this to make a mate metal rather than a glossy finish. The sen is used to scrape metal in order to "carve" the face of the knife and give the righ convexity. I doubt these guys use a coarse grinder in the process of making the knives. That is not a german factory. They will use a file to round the choil or back of the knife and the rest is water stones of various grits. I bet Maxim could offer some details about the process that kato shigefusa and other older smiths use to make the knives and swords, or you can check it on youtube.
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Better still watch the video. No straightening wheels, or belt sanders/grinders in sight.
 
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parbaked said:
That is what is unattractive to me.
I don't like the idea of paying such a high premium to vendors if it doesn't trickle down to the craftspeople...
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Aren't the flippers more the issue with the prices not the vendors? To be honest I never have seen a Kato on JNS so don't really know its price since they sell out so fast. But if the vendors charged what the flippers did, the knives would likely stay in stock longer, and not be targeted by flippers for such fast buys and resales. Part of me would almost rather see the money going through that more legitimate root, than speculative resellers who add no value either making or curating.
 
Does anyone know how much Kato san gets paid per each knife or batch he makes?
I will say anything above 40% of market price is well reasonable. Because Kato san himself doesn't have to worry about marketing, advertisements, potential over stock risks, or little things like distribution. Those responsibilities all belong to the retailer like JNS.
 
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danemonji said:
... Is there some sense of acomplishment in denigrating the work of an old master with over 60 years of craft...
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I think you have hit the nail right on the head. Lately it seems that wanting to convey a sense of ‘I’m too cool to like Katos’ has become fashionable and any excuse goes for the people that feel like they need to join that club.

There is no denying that in the world of kitchen knives, there are better F&F to be had than what Kato does. But that’s neither here nor there, Kato has never been about mirror polishes. If you want art and beauty, buy an Ashi Honyaki, if you want a Kato, buy a Kato, there’s nothing else like it.

For the record, I see the grind marks as a Yoshiaki Fujiwara signature. I recently had a nakiri made by Kato-san’s father restored by Carbon Knife Co. Craig would have put any finish I wanted on it but we both agreed to finish the restoration by having the horizontal grind marks on the blade - it’s not an oversight, those are a part of what a Kato is.
 
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avk210 said:
Hey all, Just wondering what are the major differances between these 3 if they are all 240 gyutos
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Re-reading the thread, I am surprised it hasn't been mentioned yet. A benefit to the kurouchi line is lower reactivity. I found the cladding on the standard line to be fairly reactive (without a patina). I don't know if this is a recent phenomenon or has always been the case?? If reactivity/maintenance is a concern for you, I'd recommend the kurouchi finish.
 
Luftmensch said:
Re-reading the thread, I am surprised it hasn't been mentioned yet. A benefit to the kurouchi line is lower reactivity. I found the cladding on the standard line to be fairly reactive (without a patina). I don't know if this is a recent phenomenon or has always been the case?? If reactivity/maintenance is a concern for you, I'd recommend the kurouchi finish.
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Yup, Migaki is quite reactive when first used. Unlike a lot of my other iron clad knives care needs to be taken initially as a light rust layer will develop if left wet, unattended. Once a good base patina is established things are a lot easier and I get nice blues and oranges.
 
parbaked said:
That is what is unattractive to me.
I don't like the idea of paying such a high premium to vendors if it doesn't trickle down to the craftspeople...
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You guys need to stop feeding this absolute piece of nonsense. Just like any other Japanese blacksmiths prices have been increased significantly year by year, and I don’t see any evidence to support your claim
 
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this thing is a sen... I really cant imagine how precise and how long it would have take to finish knife with it.
also cant imagine finish would look like this (i did try to highlight the vertical scratches by editing the photo - oldschool Kato WH 240 ; I use the knife regularly):
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Btw I had in hands 2more WH Katos gyutos and nakiri or tiny suji and all of them have had the same vertical scratches.
Only Kato I have that has no scratches is the Hunter White/Blue dama (sry dont have better pics now) finish is stunning:
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Corradobrit1 said:
Once a good base patina is established things are a lot easier and I get nice blues and oranges.
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A lot of protein? Our diet is predominantly vegetarian (>90%)... veggies leave a less flatting patina....
 
I have one I have entertained selling, you’d have to mortgage the house though......😂😂😂😂
 
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