Kono Fujiyama FT Sharpener Revealed?

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ob-gym

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Been lusting after Takada no Hamono lately - Y. Tanaka and Shiraki forged + symmetric convex grind = <3

The "Suiboku" finish looked real similar to my Konosuke Fujiyama FT Funayuki!

Is this Suiboku finish done by anyone else? As far as I know the FT sharpener was never revealed, and no longer does work with Konosuke - coincidentally stopping right around the time Takada no Hamono popped up 🤔🤔🤔

Here's some close ups of both - Takada pics from Bernal's Suiboku Blue #2, Kono pics are my FT. Lighting is obviously a huge factor, but I've never seen anything else that's remotely similar before.

What do you guys think?

Konosuke FT Finish
Konosuke FT Finish.jpg


Takada no Hamono Suiboku Blue #2
Takada Suiboku.png


Konosuke FT choil
Konosuke FT Choil.jpg


Takada Suiboku Blue #2 choil
Takada Choil.png
 
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That looks like a reasonable connection to me.
 
Definitely not saying they're identical finishes. The FT Funayuki was from around late 2018, about a year before Takada's debut and the Suiboku in late 2019

The Suiboku looks less uniform and more "misty", with a more pronounced cladding line. Maybe the FT finish was the prototype for the Suiboku finish?
 
The choil shots look different to me--though may be just the camera angle?
The first choil has the neatly chamfered edges distinctive to some Konosuke.
Tough to tell with the perspective of the second shot, but it seems to lack that finishing style at the choil.
 
I thought it was a fairly open secret they were the same sharpener...
 
I'm probably missing something but my info is that Takada Hamono was already a thing in 2018, and Takada was formerly working with Ashi Hamono. I'm also fairly sure he sharpens them himself. Well at least he grinds them for sure, and I can hardly see why he wouldn't finish the job himself.
 
Well at least he grinds them for sure, and I can hardly see why he wouldn't finish the job himself

I think “sharpener” just means “grinder” in this context, kind of strangely. They often don’t even sharpen the edges at all before sale. I guess a ground knife is “sharper” than a forged knife blank, though.
 
Yes it does, exactly what I meant, there’s no « other sharpener » there but Takada himself and he has nothing to do with Kono.
 
I think Kono likes to refer to them as sharpeners. I’ve seen « Grinder » for most resources selling these collaborative knives though
 
Just finished up some prep work this morning with Takada no Hamono and Tanaka Yohei. In use they don’t feel similar at all, except that they’re both lighter thinner knives that cut well. Very different profiles, finishes, and the bevel on Takada starts much higher.
I don’t know who makes what, but in use they feel different.
 
Based on what I've seen of Takada's work, it is very lefty unfriendly - that FT choil shot up in the OP looks more balanced than anything I've seen for Takada (at least in pics as I've never handled one)

Hmmm bizarre since mine is pretty symmetrical, and seems in line with what I see of most of them on Hitohira.

Tanaka x Yohei have much more asymmetrical tendencies, from choil shots at least. Also there's a lot more convexing done with Takada, not much with Yohei.
 
Hmmm bizarre since mine is pretty symmetrical, and seems in line with what I see of most of them on Hitohira.

Tanaka x Yohei have much more asymmetrical tendencies, from choil shots at least. Also there's a lot more convexing done with Takada, not much with Yohei.

I'm just going by the shots on CKC - they all seem righty biased (like the one Ashi I've handled). As I said, I've never handled one, so I could be wrong based upon my interpretation of the pics
 
Im really not trying to be a contrarian here but both the Takada and Yohei in my possession are pretty 50/50 (I’m a lefty)...Dare I say this Takada might actually be more lefty than 50/50 even.

I just looked over the pics at Hitohira and it seems to be a mix for right/left/balance grinds. Most the pics at CKC seem to be righty to me. I am lefty as well so the CKC pics had me hesitant.
 
I just looked over the pics at Hitohira and it seems to be a mix for right/left/balance grinds. Most the pics at CKC seem to be righty to me. I am lefty as well so the CKC pics had me hesitant.
Reach out to Craig, he will pick out a lefty one if he has it instock.
He’s helped me many times.
 
Reach out to Craig, he will pick out a lefty one if he has it instock.
He’s helped me many times.

Thanks for the hint, but I'm a 210 guy and the Takada 210 at CKC is too close to my FM 210 W#2. If I jump at the moment I'm looking for some form of Blue as a steel choice.

That and being Canadian with the exchange against me, I don't like buying anything until it's on sale.
 
What I see in the OP, on CKC, or on Hitohira, seems pretty much 50/50 all around to me also.

Obviously the angled choil shot used on the Takada in the OP is not helping the assessment.

Im really not trying to be a contrarian here but both the Takada and Yohei in my possession are pretty 50/50 (I’m a lefty)...Dare I say this Takada might actually be more lefty than 50/50 even.
 
I'd think Takada would be more similar to Ashi than Kono anything. With, you know, it's well known Takada used to work for Ashi.
 
I'd think Takada would be more similar to Ashi than Kono anything. With, you know, it's well known Takada used to work for Ashi.

It was widely speculated that the old school Konosuke Fujiyama White Honyaki blades were from Ashi, so Ashis can also be Konosukes at the same time! :p

As far as I know Ashi and Kono do very different things:
- Ashi: actual blacksmith with sharpeners in house to make knives from start to finish, for example their Ginga line
- Kono: mostly just one dude (Kawamura Kosuke) who contracts other blacksmiths and sharpeners to make knives to his specifications (Fujiyama = Morihiro + Y. Tanaka, YS Sanjo = Yoshikane, etc.)

It's very possible and even likely Konosuke sold knives made by Ashi, I suspect Konosuke's White #2/Swedish monosteel lasers were actually made by Ashi. Their profiles are most similar, pretty different from the other lasers (Sakai Yusuke, Tadatsuna)
 
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