Re:Show HN: Buttermilk Supply – knives from Japanese masters
by lafar6502 on Wednesday July 22, 2015 @04:56AM
(#9928427)
I find it hard to believe that there are enough knife forging masters in Japan to be able to supply all hand made blades to the whole world. In last few years the demand has gone up many times (fashion, marketing, Internet) and the supply of master craftsmen is limited,even in Japan - i'd expect everybody and their grandma is making knives now from pre-machined components.
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Re:Show HN: Buttermilk Supply – knives from Japanese masters
by petewailes on Wednesday July 22, 2015 @09:39AM
(#9929544)
You'd be surprised. The profile (no pun intended) of these types of blades have gotten has gone up a lot, but the actual number of hand made items hasn't really increased much as a result. They're expensive, and if you're not cooking a lot, or a very serious hobbyist, then you're not going to want to take on the burden of care that a knife like this requires.
The flip side of that is that the production of this kind of knife is not something that's easily done at scale, while keeping the standard high. However, there are ways to get a similar aesthetic, without the same demands on the worker. That's where you get things like Global, Shun, Mac etc (and to a lesser extent, Tojiro and their ilk).
TL:DR - lots of this style of knife exist nowadays, but the number of handmade items is still small.
Re:Show HN: Buttermilk Supply – knives from Japanese masters
by buttermilk on Wednesday July 22, 2015 @11:50PM
(#9933887)
What petewailes said. They the exposure has increased exponentially, the monetized result of that has been the sale of machined knives.
Many craftspeople of many industries in Japan, have a surprisingly limited exposure on the internet. The known names definitely have year long waits now, but there's still room.