I can very much understand the makers in this particular issue. My main work is as a photographer and a printer. I mostly print exhibitions for museums and galleries. In doing so, I spend a lot of time researching paper and particular printing techniques. On several occasions, I have had people ask me what papers I use because they liked my work, and then proceed to ask cheaper print-shops to print for them on those papers. In one case, a well-known photographer came to my studio and I did some test prints for him. He said they were the best prints he had ever seen of his work, and he wanted me to print his exhibition for him. I really wanted to do it, so I gave him as low a quote as I possibly could. He said he was fine with it, so I went and bought over a thousand dollars of paper to do the job (it was fairly large). I did not hear from him for a while, and finally called him to see what the status was. He had printed in China for little more than the cost that I had to pay for the paper. The work was done on the same paper, but did not look very good.
I do not hide the papers I use from my customers...I happily promote them, as they are among the finest available, but I can certainly sympathize, however, with the makers who don't like to tell people exactly what their components are. It is extremely frustrating at times to see people who think they can predetermine the results based on the components. I had another customer who came in for some test prints and then told me, "Oh, I did not realize how important the paper was. I just got the paper and my friend printed it for me." I did not see the final result, but I am fairly certain mine would have been better...I hope not to sound too arrogant in saying that, but this is something I live and breathe! When you get a print from me, the paper and printer that I use are not the largest component in the quality of the work...it is the experience I have in using them properly, in having the whole process calibrated and controlled, and the time spent in working with you to get it exactly how you want it.
In the same way, the steel in a Heiji knife has been very carefully chosen by Heiji to fulfill his requirements in a kitchen knife, and his method of production will give that steel unique properties. The fact that it is steel number XYZ from Japan or Sweden really has little to do with the actual results. I agree, however, that it can be really interesting to know the details, especially if the curiosity is from a good place (which I think it usually is!). In this context, I think respecting the maker's choice is best, and if it is a problem for you, I would suggest contacting them or the vendor and talking to them about it, perhaps they will not tell you, but I am sure they will tell you about their steels properties and why they choose it. If it still does not satisfy you, there are many craftsmen making wonderful knives that are completely open about their raw materials.