Kato carrots video should be fun
Both the STD and WH have changed weight, profile and grind over the years, plus the steel has changed too (not confirmed on the WH but likely). I prefer the more dramatic and progressive DT of the older style Kato's with their thinner tip grind. The Ku seems to be more consistent over the years although there are fewer examples so less reference points. The current JNS 210WH Ku at just over 200g and 217 edge length and low tip is just about perfect for me, although if I was to nit pick I'd prefer an even thinner tip.
My older KU was also significantly thicker than the one I got about two years ago, and I have compared notes with some friends and those have also been thinner. Big change in the STD KU profile at least too with my older one having a lower tip and the curve going all the way but very very gentle. My older 240 KU std is 233mm long heel to tip and 255g (with a ho wood handle)
I’d be keen to know what Kato-San would think of all this!
Yes, that would be a fascinating conversation to have with KK, especially at this stage in his life/career. I wonder how he feels about this being the end of the Kato knife/swordmaking lineage, at least direct. I believe an uncle was also a bladesmith.
Then he better up his Dammy game and charge less.
Nope, he makes suminagashi. The young Grasshopper still has much to learn from the Sensei
Mazaki will try to leach on to the Kato prestige. But just because they crossed hammers for publicity sake, that doesn't make him his apprentice. An apprentice in Japan is someone that lives and breaths together with the master for 20 years or more and helps in every aspect of the trade. They start making their own work after they have earned their place. Mazaki is more sanjo style then kato style and you can see that in the way the blade road runs with wide bevel towards the tip ( since it's easier to grind on sand belt than thin it from the hammer). I know most knife dealers want to promote mazaki as the continuity of Kato but he doesn't have the same motivation to be the best. Kato was raised in a familly of sword makers and was apprentice for both his father and grandfather and the weight of his familly honnor and reputation made him strive to keep that familly good name. I may be wrong but mazaki seems to be going for the money instead.
Yoshimi and Hiroshi are different Katos. The Katos we are talking about here is Kiyoshi Kato and his father Shinpei. Don't know of any other knifemaking Katos around.
If you flip them at the right time, yes.
Yesterday workhorse, today standard, tomorrow Dammy???
Hoarder
