Konosuke Fujiyama; A History

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ModRQC said:
Take less sunny pictures of the after to reproduce light settings of the before. ;) When it shines it always looks nice. I seem to distinguish improvment though.
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You would think so....but here is the before in the sun haha:

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No no I just wanted to see the finer swirls you had, where they were at. These little devils can be stubborn to clear out using only one direction. You sure did a fine job of the more major scuffs which is nice. What grit did you end up using?
 
ModRQC said:
No no I just wanted to see the finer swirls you had, where they were at. These little devils can be stubborn to clear out using only one direction. You sure did a fine job of the more major scuffs which is nice. What grit did you end up using?
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Yeah I got a lot of the major stuff out, but it's not perfect. But it is plenty good enough for me. So I started with 1000 for a bit, realized it wouldn't be course enough, so I did 500, then 1000, and then finished with 1500 wet sand, and I buffed with a little flitz. I taped off everything below where the kasumi(like where a shinogi line would be? middle point) and there are still plenty of swirls around there but I'm waiting on my fingerstones for that. Also have some stray sanding scratches but again don't think I can ever get it perfect perfect but I am happy with it
 
As this is a good place to drop this in case people go looking some time in the future. Sometimes people want to go looking to see how rare the non-gyutos are.

This month (Sept 2021), Kono sent out to vendors both B#2 Chuka Bocho and W#1 Nakiri

I found reference to 6 W#2 Cleavers being sold in Oct 2018, and the most recent info I can find on a Fuji nakiri is that Steve Gamache recorded one of his videos for W#2 nakiri in Nov 2015 so I guessing some were up for sale then.

This current batch of nakiri is a different beast. In 2015, they were 170mm (true edge) x 49.5mm @147g (with ho wood handle). This batch of nakiri is 183mm (true edge) x 54.5mm @ 219g (with ebony handle)
 
Can anyone give me some more information on this Konosuke, particularly in terms of model/year of mfr?
 

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@Omega For someone like myself who wanted to learn about Konosuke, and the Fujiyama line, this thread has been the best piece of knowledge I have ever come across in one single place. THANK YOU, for what was probably more sadistic psychosis than anything haha, for taking the time to properly articulate the history of the brand and the line. A buddy of mine is sending me a Konosuke FM Fujiyama so I can have a look at it before sending it back to him. After reading this, I'm so stoked to have that opportunity! :)
 
I've read and re-read this thread and I'm still confused about where my Fujiyama fits into the history of this knife and I'm hoping @Omega or anyone else can help me out. I bought a used 210 mm Konosuke Fujiyama Blue #2 gyuto (from a very nice guy who happens to be a member here). I bought it in January 2021, but it (I believe) was originally purchased new from CKTG several years earlier. Other than that, I don't know a lot about it, other than it's one of my very favorite knives; it's one of those knives that just feels perfect in your hand.

Pictures are below... can anyone help me figure out how this fits into the Fujiyama history? Thanks!

Kono Fujiyama 2.jpg
Kono Fujiyama 1.jpg
 
That is an earlier FM Fujiyama sharpened by Myojin before they started putting his stamp on them but after they stopped using the Konosuke stamp. It would have been sold most likely sometime in 2019 to mid 2020. In 2018 they had the Konosuke stamp and in mid 2020 they started putting Myojins' stamp on the left side of the knife.

2018 FM Fujiyama
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2019 FM Fujiyama
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2020 FM Fujiyama
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jacko9 said:
Thanks for the info and I would guess that they are forged by one blacksmith and used to be just sharpened by the two at one time.
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Don’t know if anyone told you but the Konosuke FT is nearly identical to the Takada no Hamono Suiboku. I’m all but convinced that the T in FT is Takada.

I have a 2017 Fujiyama with the same handle as my FT and there is over a 20 gram difference!

I love my FT though, but it’s definitely very different from the other Fujiyama lines
 
Curious what people might think about the construction/history, and what I perceive as meaningful differences in these knives.
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Left to right: An old beater HH, then a Fuji gyuto, nakiri and Bunka. (no HH in the second photo.) Of the three, I'm unsure of the age of the gyuto (bought used). I bought the Nakiri used here in 2019, and the Bunka BNIB a year or two before that.

There are some obvious differences in the Kanji, and the degree and method of polishing. What stands out to me most though is the weight. The bunka, by far my favorite, and the best IMO performance wise, is noticeably heavier at 228 grams. By comparison, the gyuto is 199 grams and the nakiri 182 grams. I have another Kono Bunka, similar length but less tall, that is noticeably lighter.

Any thoughts on these in terms of forging, sharpening and the weight of the bunka? I'm very late to the party having read this thread, but I'm still struck by variability in this line of knives. Perhaps now that I've read this thread it's naive to think of Kono fuji as a particular line of knives.
 
Namaxy said:
Curious what people might think about the construction/history, and what I perceive as meaningful differences in these knives.View attachment 203694View attachment 203695

Left to right: An old beater HH, then a Fuji gyuto, nakiri and Bunka. (no HH in the second photo.) Of the three, I'm unsure of the age of the gyuto (bought used). I bought the Nakiri used here in 2019, and the Bunka BNIB a year or two before that.

There are some obvious differences in the Kanji, and the degree and method of polishing. What stands out to me most though is the weight. The bunka, by far my favorite, and the best IMO performance wise, is noticeably heavier at 228 grams. By comparison, the gyuto is 199 grams and the nakiri 182 grams. I have another Kono Bunka, similar length but less tall, that is noticeably lighter.

Any thoughts on these in terms of forging, sharpening and the weight of the bunka? I'm very late to the party having read this thread, but I'm still struck by variability in this line of knives. Perhaps now that I've read this thread it's naive to think of Kono fuji as a particular line of knives.
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I have that same bunka and a few other fujis and you’re right - the bunka is a whole different experience. It might be my favorite of my entire lineup.
 
First off, very, very helpful post. Thank you!

I really appreciate your point about Morihiro being the forerunner with a certain modern style, e.g. ground spine & choils, migaki on clad, wide bevel, etc. Just curious - I see a lot of use of sand blast with Hitoihra knives, wondering if that was a thing with Fujiyamas?

I think of Hitohira as the spiritual successor to Konosuke - targeting a Western higher-end retail audience with high F&F knives from Sakai, albeit a bit more open model collaborating with various smiths & sharpeners.
 
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