jeffscot
Active Member
you need a case to display them in now! 
So I started collecting, my first Shigefusa
- Thread starter Zweber12
- Start date
Help Support Kitchen Knife Forums:
Amazing collection.
Hey do you ever see lefty versions of single bevels?
Yes they do
Well that would really tie my collection together would it not?
If you are a lefty I suppose every single bevel will, shigefusa is definitely one to have.
Lol it was a poor attempt at a Lebowski reference. I’ll try to keep my eyes out more for them
Luftmensch
Senior Member
- Joined
- Dec 13, 2017
- Messages
- 2,316
- Reaction score
- 3,186
Yeah? Well... You know, that's just like... Ahhh... your opinion, man.
Zweber12
Shig Lord
- Joined
- Apr 12, 2015
- Messages
- 529
- Reaction score
- 411
As Eitan said, they do exist, but are very rare. Last two sale I recorded in my files date back to last 2018 and were a set of kasumi yanagibas.
Zweber12
Shig Lord
- Joined
- Apr 12, 2015
- Messages
- 529
- Reaction score
- 411
Very happy to add this little baby to my growing Kato Gyuto collection, a standard KU, 240mm, originally bought from Morihei by the previous owner. More Kato Gyutos can be found here
Zweber12
Shig Lord
- Joined
- Apr 12, 2015
- Messages
- 529
- Reaction score
- 411
It's been a while since I last posted a Shigefusa pricing update; by now I've passed 1080 recorded Shigefusa sales.
If you are familiar with the previous pricing posts, you will recognise the boxplots. The y axis show the price per mm in USD, (D) denoted double bevel, (S) Single and (Yo) the yo handled knives.
More interesting it the graph below. Has the market lost appetite? COVID-19 fire sales? The average price per mm for all knives (green lines) still shows an upward trend.
Volume wise, i can say that 2020 will top 2019 if the trend continues. And yes, KKF is still the best place to buy a Shigefusa knife, 53% of all my recorded sales come from KKF and about 25% from Yahoo Auctions, the remainder are you trusted resellers. For obvious reasons, I am not able to capture all sales, thus if you like to submit a sale, please send me a message!
If you are familiar with the previous pricing posts, you will recognise the boxplots. The y axis show the price per mm in USD, (D) denoted double bevel, (S) Single and (Yo) the yo handled knives.
More interesting it the graph below. Has the market lost appetite? COVID-19 fire sales? The average price per mm for all knives (green lines) still shows an upward trend.
Volume wise, i can say that 2020 will top 2019 if the trend continues. And yes, KKF is still the best place to buy a Shigefusa knife, 53% of all my recorded sales come from KKF and about 25% from Yahoo Auctions, the remainder are you trusted resellers. For obvious reasons, I am not able to capture all sales, thus if you like to submit a sale, please send me a message!
Zweber12
Shig Lord
- Joined
- Apr 12, 2015
- Messages
- 529
- Reaction score
- 411
It’s been a long, long time since I posted anything related to pricing of Shigefusa knives, as a matter of fact, nearly 2+ years. Time to give a brief update.
Introduction
For those not familiar with this type of data; I collect (as best as I can) ‘mostly publicly’ sold Shigefusa knives. The data comes from a combination of vendor websites, KKF’s BST and auctions, while occasionally I receive sales data from you. Thank you for that, and I encourage you to do so; data submissions are 100% confidential. As of this writing, my file includes sales 1379 entries and 447 entries have been made between Jan 1 2020 and Jan 2021.
The Stats
Since we are talking about entries, the first graph illustrates the breakdown between finish (Kurouchi, Kasumi and Kitaeji) over the years. An interesting question could be, is the decline in ’20 and ’21 due to the pandemic, or was 2019 the height of Shig sales? Any other reasons possible, like decline in production, pandemic hoarding, or simply poor record keeping on my side? Spoiler on the latter, no, my vigilance actually increased. Please chime in with comments below!
The graph below is more or less a similar representation of the above, only this time in a fancy pie chart with actual numbers. The data only covers ’20 and ’21:
Another fancy pie chart, though answering the question you had, how do those number related to knife type? Throughout the years, a gyuto, yanagiba and santoku (the latter often in Kurouchi) have been the most ‘popular’ knives to be sold & bought.
Related question to the first chart, okay a decline in numbers, does it affect the price? (Demand and supply?) Well, yes, though in line with the trend seen in previous years. I chose kitaeji gyutos vs all kitaeji knives as I have a decent sample set available to make a sensible comparison.
Next one is interesting too. Where can you best start to find a Shigefusa knife? This is by far the most frequently asked question I receive via email, or a derivative like ‘I am looking for a western handled kitaeji unicorn’. (good luck btw…). It’s confirming a trend I have seen for the last couple years, Yahoo Actions JP is on the rise. Initially ‘the worst kept’ KKF’s secret, now probably the best place to check out along with BST. Use services such as Buyee or Noppin to do the bidding and shipping to your location and if you really cannot figure it out, these are the top users whom sold 70+% of the knives I found on Yahoo in descending order of listings (# of listings omitted): pikmin777pikmin, suika_9, mitsuaki_5, romantoromansu, yakanna95, hf_metal_engraving, zqfqzl6998, yoko_1_2_3, hakozaki_risaku, nojqvm8383
Now that this is out of the way, let’s move on to the second most asked question: where can I find a cheap Shigefusa. Well, those do not really exist, now do they? We can reminisce over a glass of cognac and talk about the ‘good old times’ when I picked up that 270mm kitaeji gyuto for $750 USD in 2013 (and yes, an actual entry), or when the market wasn’t destroyed by flippers. Reality boys and girls, but I digress. To continue the storyline of the previous graph, both KKF and any other source (whether this is an auction or any vendor) were pretty much on par. Below you can see the average price per millimeter of all knives by year and sales location. (Price per millimeter my own scientific invention to be able to make comparisons across knife types, length and finish.
So that’s it for now, if you have any requests for graphs, or simply want a price spot check on your Shig, let me know.
Introduction
For those not familiar with this type of data; I collect (as best as I can) ‘mostly publicly’ sold Shigefusa knives. The data comes from a combination of vendor websites, KKF’s BST and auctions, while occasionally I receive sales data from you. Thank you for that, and I encourage you to do so; data submissions are 100% confidential. As of this writing, my file includes sales 1379 entries and 447 entries have been made between Jan 1 2020 and Jan 2021.
The Stats
Since we are talking about entries, the first graph illustrates the breakdown between finish (Kurouchi, Kasumi and Kitaeji) over the years. An interesting question could be, is the decline in ’20 and ’21 due to the pandemic, or was 2019 the height of Shig sales? Any other reasons possible, like decline in production, pandemic hoarding, or simply poor record keeping on my side? Spoiler on the latter, no, my vigilance actually increased. Please chime in with comments below!
The graph below is more or less a similar representation of the above, only this time in a fancy pie chart with actual numbers. The data only covers ’20 and ’21:
Another fancy pie chart, though answering the question you had, how do those number related to knife type? Throughout the years, a gyuto, yanagiba and santoku (the latter often in Kurouchi) have been the most ‘popular’ knives to be sold & bought.
Related question to the first chart, okay a decline in numbers, does it affect the price? (Demand and supply?) Well, yes, though in line with the trend seen in previous years. I chose kitaeji gyutos vs all kitaeji knives as I have a decent sample set available to make a sensible comparison.
Next one is interesting too. Where can you best start to find a Shigefusa knife? This is by far the most frequently asked question I receive via email, or a derivative like ‘I am looking for a western handled kitaeji unicorn’. (good luck btw…). It’s confirming a trend I have seen for the last couple years, Yahoo Actions JP is on the rise. Initially ‘the worst kept’ KKF’s secret, now probably the best place to check out along with BST. Use services such as Buyee or Noppin to do the bidding and shipping to your location and if you really cannot figure it out, these are the top users whom sold 70+% of the knives I found on Yahoo in descending order of listings (# of listings omitted): pikmin777pikmin, suika_9, mitsuaki_5, romantoromansu, yakanna95, hf_metal_engraving, zqfqzl6998, yoko_1_2_3, hakozaki_risaku, nojqvm8383
Now that this is out of the way, let’s move on to the second most asked question: where can I find a cheap Shigefusa. Well, those do not really exist, now do they? We can reminisce over a glass of cognac and talk about the ‘good old times’ when I picked up that 270mm kitaeji gyuto for $750 USD in 2013 (and yes, an actual entry), or when the market wasn’t destroyed by flippers. Reality boys and girls, but I digress. To continue the storyline of the previous graph, both KKF and any other source (whether this is an auction or any vendor) were pretty much on par. Below you can see the average price per millimeter of all knives by year and sales location. (Price per millimeter my own scientific invention to be able to make comparisons across knife types, length and finish.
So that’s it for now, if you have any requests for graphs, or simply want a price spot check on your Shig, let me know.
Bensonhai
#TeamMyojin
Nice collection there
Hanmak17
Senior Member
- Joined
- Jan 19, 2016
- Messages
- 391
- Reaction score
- 225
It is THE ultimate collection of Shig's...LOL
SundayGourmet
Member
Beautiful knives. I've been searching for a Kitaeji myself and the search continues to this day.
Zweber12
Shig Lord
- Joined
- Apr 12, 2015
- Messages
- 529
- Reaction score
- 411
It's been a while since my last post; never left, just lurking most of the time.
Last weekend I had the chance to meet Chef Knives Enthusiast. He came to visit me for the weekend and took a tour of the "Shigefusa Museum." We taped an episode for this YouTube Channel; unboxing all the knives and telling stories. Meet Wanto, myself and a little bit more about my Shigefusa collection:
Make sure to like and subscribe and leave a comment!
Last weekend I had the chance to meet Chef Knives Enthusiast. He came to visit me for the weekend and took a tour of the "Shigefusa Museum." We taped an episode for this YouTube Channel; unboxing all the knives and telling stories. Meet Wanto, myself and a little bit more about my Shigefusa collection:
Make sure to like and subscribe and leave a comment!
great video! and it explains the "l'eau de JNS" fragrance we are all familiar with...
Zweber12
Shig Lord
- Joined
- Apr 12, 2015
- Messages
- 529
- Reaction score
- 411
I've posted the images below on my IG as well and wanted to share with the community as well. Back in 2019 I consolidated my Shigefusa collection and set out to collected small series of a handful of knife types. It took 5 years to complete the kitaeji Takohiki range: 240, 270 and 300mm! Eventually I will document the knives in full on my website with more photos and measurements.
