rookie Anryu questions

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henkle

henkle

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Maybe I was hallucinating because I can't find the website now, but I could swear that I saw on a retailer's site the claim that Makoto Kurosaki was sharpening the new Anryu knives. Could this be true? I can't verify this anywhere else. Also, it seems that some seller's sites imply that Katsushige Anryu is still making the knives listed on their sites (mostly sold out of course). I thought K. Anryu was retired and that Tasumi Ikeda was forging the Anryu brand. Could there still be knives forged by Katsushige coming onto the market? Or, conversely, what level of involvement does he have in the Anryu brand at this point? Who might be sharpening the newer knives?
 
CKTG posted a video onto Reddit about a month ago of Anryu working the hammer and said they heard he's still works part time
 
enrico l said:
Are the older kanji Anryu's really that coveted?
Click to expand...
Demand and prices went crazy right after Anryu officially retired; they've settled down a bit now, but are still much higher than they were right before he put the hammer down. It's all kinda silly tho, imho, cuz T. Ikeda has been the man behind most of the knives with the Anryu name on them for years now... & I think his knives cut better. But as usual, it's all about resale value, it'n it? I've had 3 Anryu Blue #2 240's from 2012ish, 2018, and 2020- the '20 & '18 were nearly identical (thin bte, hollow ground wide bevel), while the older one was substantially thicker bte and was convex ground. The one from 2020 stays in my knife roll.
As to the OP, I agree with previous comments that sites are likely out of date. And Mark is certainly a good salesman, if nothing else :nono: 😝
 
I got one of the last batch of 210's with the old kanji, and the finish and grind were better than the few knives I picked up in 2017 and 2018. So what's the big deal with the old kanji? I think Burrfection drummed up a bunch of hype right before Anryu quit and this made a lot of know-nothings think they are worth much more than they are. The Springhammer documentary and Knifewear book did a great job showcasing Anryu as a sort of elder statesman of the blacksmithing world, with his work running the union and his many, many, decades of experience.
The best thing about Anryu-san's knives was, in my opinion, the great price/performance ratio. The Blue 2 line was about the best value coming out of Echizen, and Echizen is well known for producing knives with a great value proposition. That all got blown out by hype. I love the 5 old-kanji Anryus I have, but would never buy them at current market prices. And I'd have no qualms *at all* about buying Ikeda-san's Anryu-branded blades.
 
I had one of the newer kanji Anryu in AS. Havent tried his B2 or white steel offerings. However, from the example I had, the knife was well done in terms of grind and overall finish. I'd put it on par with Sanjo knives like Wakui/Yoshikane/Hinoura which are in a similar price range. For the price, it's well worth it for what you get. But if we're talking $800 for an Anryu with a couple different lines chiseled into it, that's just silly. I think I even saw some retailer listing a petty for like $600.
 
I snagged 210 blue #2 gyuto recently from K&S. I've never seen or handled a knife actually made by Anryu-san, but this knife made by Ikeda-san has a very nice finish and is super sharp OOTB. I thought my S. Tanaka Ginsan gyuto was sharp, but this Anryu moves through onions with less effort than the Tanaka. Love that knife too, though.
 
i have 4 anryus and handled a couple of ikeda san, its same knife.

performance wise its pretty nice and nimble, good aogami steel. i do prefer my knives to be heavier.
 
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