doubtful. maker material supply store on eBay shows zero items. a listing came up for some San Mai, 5/32" is a little thick for a kitchen knife, don't know anything about the maker. NJ Steel Baron had some Blue several years ago, but been unable to import any steel from Hitachi. Alpha Knife Supply tells the same story. small quantities of 1.2519 are still available, its chemical makeup is similar to Blue #2. it appears that Hitachi makes small quantities of Aogami and Shirogami steel and has most of it sold before it is even made.(seems to be standard Japanese business practice, Toyota and Honda don't start assembling a car until it is sold) since these steels seem to have almost mythical properties, Hitachi can sell them for whatever price it wants. since the steel is very difficult to obtain, the chance of a double blind test of Aogami vs. Shirogami is doubtful.
