One thing I keyed on is that rstcso stated Honcho-knife had a lot of bad reviews. I searched and there are a bunch, so I emailed them asking if the "Sakai Takayuki Tokujyo Supreme" was in stock. I received a reply at 11.45 PM Eastern time stating it wasn't in stock, but could be restocked when ordered. Also, the saya is separate and is basically $50. I went through the header of the email, and it seems this company is operated out of Japan. The Honcho-Knife site is hosted in Kansas, but registered in Japan. Also, the email came from import.jpn.com, which is registered and hosted out of Japan. All that is fine, but they pretend like they are in Miami instead of stating how it really works. They also pretend the knives are on sale, but it doesn't really seem so, or they are always on sale. One of my best eBay purchases was soy sauce from Japan, but it was very clear. I think Honcho should be more up front, so I'm turned off of them.
So, I'm thinking further and looking at less expensive honesuki knives. There have been a lot of good suggestions, so there are several choices in different price points. Maybe that Ashi Hamono could ring the bell. My other thought is getting more sharpening stones, and I have a few in mind.
I am very glad I finally signed up here, and you guys are great!
You can find a LOT of vendors to peruse in this thread: https://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/threads/who-do-you-buy-from.52523/