http://www.knifeplanet.net/japanese-knife-imports-jon-broida-interview/
Hope you guys enjoy it.
]]>I hope this discourse helps you out as you consider various stone options. Much of this knowledge is the result of being involved in the making of custom stones for our own series. Having gone through extensive prototyping and having in-depth discussions with the stone manufacturers, I've come to know quite a bit about them. It also doesn't hurt that I own and use quite a few (we've got metro racks for my stones at work ;) ).
-Jon
I’ll be writing the blog entries from time to time. I hope you enjoy them.
Japanese Butchery Knives: Shapes and Functions
In the world of Japanese knives, each blade shape fills a specific purpose. Interestingly, many of them revolve around the butchering of either seafood or livestock. Whereas most kitchen knives are made to be thinner in order to achieve higher cutting performance, butchery knives are usually thicker at the spine and behind the edge. This serves the function of making the blades more tough and durable, being that they will be making contact with bone from time to time.
Deba - Exclusively used to fillet fish. Hefty and very thick at the spine, they need to hold up to contact with fish bones. Single bevel.
Yanagiba - Used to slice fish. 270mm to 300mm is the usual blade length. The longer the blade, the easier it is to complete a slice in a single stroke. Single bevel.
Gyuto - Generally used as a chef’s knife. Some makers use a more tough and durable steel when creating gyuto for butchery series (the can also be called Hirakiri in butchery series). They usually have a taller profile than a sujihiki. Double bevel.
Sujihiki - General meat slicer. It has a less tall profile than a gyuto and a shape that is very similar to a yanagiba. Double bevel.
Hankotsu - Breaking/boning knife for livestock. The last third of the knife, by the handle, is unsharpened in order to scrape against bone without sacrificing the edge on the sharpened portion. This knife can also be called honesuki maru or Nishigata hankotsu. Double bevel, but highly asymmetrical.
Honesuki - Breaking/boning knife specifically for poultry. The triangular shape is tailored to breaking down and deboning an entire chicken carcass. Videos on youtube show just how well designed and effective these knives are. Double bevel, but highly asymmetrical.
Kawahagi - Skinning knife for larger livestock animals. Double bevel.
Atamatori - Long, curved knife for beheading larger livestock animals (lambs, pigs, cows). Also comes in smaller sizes, sometimes used for chicken. The smaller one is sometimes called kashiratori. Double bevel.
Anyways, we've given him free reign with the blog here... Looking forward to hearing what he has to say. Here's Josh...
Though the website looks similar, there are a number of huge changes we have made with this new version. We have been listening to what our customers have been asking for, and, in this newest version, we have tried to implement as many of those requests as possible. Here's a brief rundown of some of the new things you can expect:
Anyways, we hope you enjoy the new website. If you have any questions, feedback, or trouble with the website for any reason, please don't hesitate to contact us by phone at 310-399-0300 or by e-mail at Jon@JapaneseKnifeImports.com.
-Jon
]]>I had a discussion about this on another forum and i thought it might be useful here... i think people misunderstand microbevels (and also have no clue what thin behind the edge actually looks like with regard to thinning)...
microbevels are intended to achieve the following things (not necessarily all of them, but at least one, if not a combination of a couple or more):
-maintaining extremely thin geometry on a knife that could not otherwise handle it -reduce chipping in super hard steels -increase stability in larger carbide steels (especially at low sharpening angles) -improve edge retention at the cost of maximum potential sharpness
Here is an example of very thin behind the edge:
Here, at Japanese Knife Imports, we have been expanding our library of books and magazines. One of the magazines we get is essentially the equivalent of Art Culinaire in Japan. Unlike Art Culinaire, however, there is a greater emphasis on professional chefs sharing information about how they run their businesses. In the most recent issue, there was a very interesting article by Seiji Yamamoto, the chef and owner of 3-michelin-star RyuGin restaurant in Tokyo. He discussed his hiring process in depth. As we have been hiring lately, and as our job board has grown, we have thought a lot about this ourselves. His process was extremely interesting to me. I asked Sara to summarize his article. Here is what she wrote:
-Job Interview-
Seiji Yamamoto wrote the process and philosophy behind how he and Ryugin conduct job interviews. Ryugin, as a leading restaurant for nihon ryori (traditional Japanese cuisine), their work ethic and level of performance as a team directly correlates to the world standard (as Japan is the standard for the world's nihon ryori).
According to Yamamoto, there's an unanimous consent - for any kind of job, not just restaurants'- that when someone becomes an employee, this person is to join the "team" and thus has to share the same vision and same level of commitment. This was a challenge that everyone from the current team of 18 had to overcome to be a part of Ryugin
Yamamoto always follows the four steps for a job interview:
Based on the first application from the website, some promising candidates will be called for dining at Ryugin. Its purpose is to have an established fact that all the remaining candidates have an experience of being a customer at Ryugin.
Most unique and valuable process is step 3. As of March 2015, candidates will be asked to answer 86 questions (28 pages long) - on average people spend more than 3 hours to finish the form. Some questions in the form are: how did you learn about Ryugin; what kind of pay do you expect to receive and why (How can you justify it? Do you think you and what you can do for the company are worth for the money?); what kind of dining experience do you have; why did you choose nihon ryori; what kind of books/magazines do you read; who do you respect the most as a chef; how long can you commit to work for Ryugin; what kind of influential restaurants abroad are you aware of; what do you know about Ryugin Group?
This wide-ranging questionnaire not only help Ryugin clarify the kind of questions new employees will be asked, but also find candidates who share similar visions with Ryugin, as oppose to trying to make people something that they are not.
For Yamamoto, the most important quality that he look into from candidates are skill set, contribution to the company, and lastly but most importantly trustworthiness. This questionnaire is, of course, exhausting to answer, but also the same for the team Ryugin to make and read answers. But because it is such an extensive form, people with a sense of commitment and passion naturally come across strongly.
When candidates make it to the interview with Yamamoto, because all the questions are answered on the questionnaire, it will be candidates' turn to ask questions if any. There will be an explanation about how he/she is no longer looking at Ryugin from outside, but is going to show Ryugin. Lastly, Yamamoto will tell the candidates that Ryugin is not begging or asking for them to work for Ryugin, but it is them who have to be wanting to work for Ryugin on their free will - if there is any question, hesitance, unwillingness, or disagreement, please do not come back.
The remaining candidates will formally sign the contract before starting 3 months trial period. This contract is also unique and wide-ranging, assuming every possible problem there can be (more than 90 statements). It clearly states regulations such as follows:
They are expected to follow the rules to details. Yamamoto's philosophy is that once someone decide to be the best of something, it entails a strict training of mind everyday without any excuse. People who has the same level of commitment for learning and for nihon ryori as the team Ryugin will not have any problem or a second of hesitance to agree to these.
I found this to be very interesting. I think this kind of format, though time consuming and over the top, might be a cool way to help create a better kitchen culture in our kitchens here in the US. Over the last few years, we have seen a problem across Los Angeles and other US cities... chefs feel like there are no good line cooks out there anymore, and hiring good staff has become exceedingly difficult. In fact, as I mentioned above, our Job Board has gotten out of control lately. The list is getting longer and longer, and I hear from our chef friends and customers every day about how hard it is for them to find good staff. Maybe this is a time for us to re-think the way we go about our hiring process. What do you think?
*Source: Senmon Ryori Issue 4, April 2015- Shibata Shoten Ltd.
]]>I had an interesting question from a customer today and wanted to post about it here, since i thought it was a great question and i'm sure many of you probably were thinking about the same thing...
Question- Is it true that white steel #1 is considered the top of the line steel since it is so clean and offers a blacksmith a "white canvas" more than the blue steels that have additional alloys?
Answer- I don't believe that any steel can be called top of the line... all of the steels require different skill sets to heat treat well. Even though blue steel is technically more forgiving in the HT process, it doesn't mean that a very skilled craftsman couldn't bring out the best in it through great finesse. White #1 is a very simple, very pure, and very high carbon steel, so it does require great skill to work with well, but there are a number of blacksmiths who i do not consider to be so great who often work with white #1 and get so-so results, so just seeing white #1 is not an indication of a high quality knife. Obviously, there is great potential with white #1 for a skilled craftsman to showcase his technique, there are only a few ways to know this for yourself with any certainty. First, try for yourself and see- this also means that you have to know enough to be able to assess the steel well. Second, rely on reputation- this only works when the people describing the steel know what they are talking about. Or third, find a retailer whom you can trust and who has experience using and sharpening the steel so that he/she can talk about it effectively- the only works if the retailer knows what they are talking about and has the experience and training to validate their opinion.
Anyways, the gist of this is that just knowing a steel type doesn't tell you if that steel has been forged and heat treated well. Even steels that seem simple and nothing special on paper can be amazing when skillfully forged and heat treated (aeb-l is a great example of this... when its great, it can be really great, but without a good heat treatment, its really nothing special).
Hope you guys enjoy this quick read.
]]>Recently, a customer/friend asked me a question about how single bevel knives are properly sharpened and if the concavity from the large wheels the knives are made on has any functional purpose. Here was my answer:
The concave part of the blade road is a function of how the knives are made. Often, they go from a wheel to a buffer and are finished with minimal stone contact, so the low spot in the center of the blade road remains. As a rule of thumb (though not always 100% accurate), the more expensive knives have less of this and to less of a degree than less expensive knives. Knives that have had honbadzuke performed (by either the knifemaker or retailer) should not have this, though sharpeners in Japan are less uptight about this than most customers in the west are. Honbadzuke and regular sharpening are designed to remove these low spots (and high spots for that matter) over time.
In terms of correct single bevel sharpening, there are really two ways people go about things. The first is generally regarded as the most technically correct and best for performance, while the second is easier to do, and still correct. The first type of sharpening is hamaguri sharpening. In doing this, the blade road is sharpened in 2 parts and then blended together. The first sharpening is from the shinogi line down about 1/2 way or 2/3 the way down the blade road. In this first sharpening, the shinogi line should be moved up the same amount of height you intend to remove from the edge of the knife. The second sharpening is of the edge and the area just behind the edge. During this sharpening, you remove metal from the edge and form a burr. The two angles of these first and second sharpening are almost the same, so the difference comes mainly from finger placement and pressure, rather than lifting up the edge. These two bevels are then blended together to create a hamaguri edge. The curvature should be very subtle.
The second kind of sharpening is often referred to as beta togi. This is the kind of sharpening where the blade road is entirely flat, and, when sharpened, is laid flat on the stone. Compared to hamaguri, this kind of sharpening is less time consuming and easier to do. It yields a thinner edge, with slightly better cutting performance, but lacks in edge retention, toughness, and food release when compared to hamaguri edges. Even in this kind of sharpening, the high and low spots are removed over time, which indicates proper sharpening.
]]>Here are some notes on various aspects of kitchen knives and knife repair that i have shared with customers recently. I hope many of you will find them useful.
Up First, a bit about sharpening single bevel knives, angles, geometry, and asymmetry-
Up next, a bit on machi gaps and Japanese Knives-
A quick note on machi gaps...
I know that many on here do not like them, so i thought i would take some time to explain a bit about them. First, the biggest thing to know is that there are regional differences in aesthetics. Kanto tends to like large gaps, while kansai does not. However, most knife makers/retailers/wholesalers in japan will still leave them if it makes more sense to than not. However, on request from many us retailers, many wholesalers in japan have started installing the handles flush with the handle. So, the question becomes "why leave a gap?"
There are a few reasons the gaps are left... here are some of the top ones
-When the neck of the knife is short (which can happen for a variety of reasons or sometimes none at all), the spacing between the choil and the handle becomes important. This space should be large enough to fit about 80% of your middle finger when holding the knife in a pinch grip. Smaller than this will be too small and is uncomfortable to hold. Larger than this will be too loose and can make rotary control of the knife more difficult than it should be. 80% or so gives enough space for the finger to fit, but is tight enough that the finger is still in contact with the handle for rotational stability. Also, what i have just said is based on what one would expect for a gyuto. Ideal sizes will be different based on knife types, expected grips, intended customers, etc.
-Handle installation... This is not only for ease of installing handles in the traditional japanese way (which is easier than using epoxy, allows for easier handle replacement, and removal of handles for maintenance), but also allows for knife placement relative to the handle. Knives with no machi will have a spine that is significantly lower than the top of the handle for example. On significantly harder woods (like ebony), the tang with the machi makes installation significantly easier with less chance of the wood cracking (which can be a problem with ebony).
Here are the top reasons i hear for people not wanting machi gaps...
-Food gets stuck. I've used knives with machi gaps for many years, both at home and in professional kitchens. This area is almost always covered with your hand and is not generally at risk for food getting stuck. If food does get in there, its a long way from being stuck, and comes out with general knife cleaning. If you find food accumulating, the chances are you may not be taking care of your knife well enough in my opinion. I've seen a wide number of knives from a wide number of people. I see just as many very dirty knives with no machi as i do dirty ones with a machi. I would venture to say, a dirty knife is more a function of the user than the knife design.
-It catches on your finger. I've found this to be the case with very large machi gaps or on some lower end knives that have machis that extend beyond the handle in width (or height depending on how you think about it). However, after significant testing, i've found that on knives with normal sized machi gaps, if this turns into a problem, it is most often the result of the use of an improper grip. When knives are held properly, your fingers dont really make contact with this area in a way than can catch.
-And of course, some people just dont like the way it looks... actually, this one is the reason i understand best.
The reason i say this, is that sometimes i ask makers to reduce or remove the machi gaps based on customer requests. However, i have a stipulation i have discussed with them. I would prefer that if and when they reduce the gap, they do it to an extent that does not sacrifice the ability to grip and use the knife well.
Anyways, hope this helps make sense of this to some of you.
A short while later, someone posted this in response to my above statement. I thought it was very interesting, so i'm quoting the post and response here:
Poster with Question:
I do not want to seem augmentative, so take these comments as the devils advocate if you please-
"When the neck of the knife is short (which can happen for a variety of reasons or sometimes none at all), the spacing between the choil and the handle becomes important. This space should be large enough to fit about 80% of your middle finger when holding the knife in a pinch grip. Smaller than this will be too small and is uncomfortable to hold. Larger than this will be too loose and can make rotary control of the knife more difficult than it should be. 80% or so gives enough space for the finger to fit, but is tight enough that the finger is still in contact with the handle for rotational stability.Also, what i have just said is based on what one would expect for a gyuto. Ideal sizes will be different based on knife types, expected grips, intended customers, etc."
This statement could be read as to be more about adapting the handle to a knife that was not made correctly. I have never seen this gap with any of our local knife makers here at the KKF. Is it a case of just get them out the door?
"Handle installation... This is not only for ease of installing handles in the traditional japanese way (which is easier than using epoxy, allows for easier handle replacement, and removal of handles for maintenance), but also allows for knife placement relative to the handle. Knives with no machi will have a spine that is significantly lower than the top of the handle for example. On significantly harder woods (like ebony), the tang with the machi makes installation significantly easier with less chance of the wood cracking (which can be a problem with ebony)."
Again, it seems like a case of expediency rather than quality here. Adjusting the installation to the tech rather than the end user seems back asswards.
My Response:
Often times i have seen many US custom makers not think about this spacing, and only concern themselves with not leaving gaps. Some, however, do consider the spacing and adjust the neck of the knife to the size they need to install the handle. However, once the handle in installed, it can not be removed for maintenance (in most cases i have seen). Therefore, i could not repolish an entire blade perfectly... there would always be that little area near the handle that wouldnt be correct. Likewise for thinning a blade perfectly. This same area will be missed, therefore creating a high spot in that area. Its not often a problem in food release or cutting, but will change the look of the knife over time. By installing the handle with a little room for play, the handle can be removed when refinishing is necessary... same for thinning. On handles i've seen that use pins to keep the handle in place, the handles can be installed flush with the machi, but as the handle is removed and replaced overtime, the fit becomes looser. By being able to put it back on a tiny bit further each time, this problem is minimized with the japanese way of installing handles.
On the subject of handles, the choice of handles actually has great thought behind it, as well as the way it is installed. Here, we tend to have different ways of doing things, but in japan there are certain things a chef does that makes the need to replace his handles from time to time greater than what we see here. Ho wood was picked as a handle material due to its resistance to cracking in extreme climate environments or environmental changes. Other woods do not have this same strength. For example, ebony is one of the woods i see the most cracking problems with. It also happens on ichii and rosewood from time to time. Stabilized woods are not popular either, due to not being able to be installed the same way. The handles are installed in this way to allow for easier removal and replacement, as i previously mentioned. This is because most japanese chefs at higher end restaurants will sand down their handles a bit from time to time to keep them clean looking. This is very important to the way the think about their work environment, as well as the customer perspective in Japan. This means that handles wear significantly more quickly there. Being able to replace them easily is more of a necessity than anything else. And being able to do it inexpensively is a plus as well. Ho wood is also liked due to the lightness, which relates to the balance of the blade. When ebony handles are used, the end user understands that he/she will need to care for the wood significantly more so as to not have it crack. Likewise, it will change the balance of the knife significantly... especially on lighter knives (wa-gyutos, etc.). Traditionally, you see this most often on higher end single bevel knives, where the knives are forward balanced enough that the ebony handle doesnt change the balance in a really negative way.
Hope this makes sense in relation to your comments above.
Also, because many of the makers now know that americans dont like the look of machi gaps, the knives they make for export dont have them.
I think its also important to keep in mind we are buying knives that are designed with the japanese chef in mind (that's their history)... not the american chef. So often times the knives will adhere more to japanese chef's values than american, as in the case of handle replacement here.
Someone asked this question the other day, so i thought it might be nice to copy and paste some of that conversation here:
"The history of the shapes is a bit different, as is the way the used to be used. Because of the tip on the kamagata usuba, chefs can use it for regular usuba work and mukimono (design work), and tend to do so. In kanto, chefs that do mukimono tend to use a mukimono bocho as well. Of course, at the best restaurants and with the most skilled chefs, they still tend to use the most task specific knife (but, not always).
There's a bit more history to it than just that... i'm in a rush right now, but if i can remember tonight, i will explain in more depth. It will also clear up the difference between takobiki and yanagiba."
"So here we go... in the kanto region, back in the day they used to sit while cutting, making their cutting boards higher relative to their bodies. This necessitated the use of flater edged knives (takobiki, higashi-gata usuba, etc), as well as the lack of a sharp tip, which would be useless and problematic from this position. In the Kansai region, chefs stood while cutting, this making the curved profile of yanagiba more useful than takobiki. Likewise, the tip of the kamagata usuba is easier to use from a standing position than a sitting position. Moreover, the home of kaiseki ryori is kyoto. In this kind of cuisine, mukimono (decorative cutting technique) is often seen. The tip of the kamagata usuba is very useful when doing this kind of detail-oriented cutting. Mukimono bocho is also sometimes used, but it seems to be a bit more common in the kanto region, as the higashigata-usuba doesnt have a functional tip for this kind of thing.
Hope this helps you guys better understand these knives."
(Updated June 14th, 2013)
Once again, it's time for our anual Japan trip. This year we're changing a few things. Normally, Sara and I both head to Japan for about a month in the fall. During this time, I train under a few different master craftsmen. This year, however, Sara will be staying here to run the store and process shipments, while I head to Japan for about 3 weeks. My Japan training trip will take place from July 1st to July 21st. Our store will resume normal hours again on July 22nd. During my time in Japan, I will be learning under amazing master craftsmen like Hinoura-san and the Gesshin Hide craftsmen.
Unlike previous years, this year, all shipping will continue as normal (handled by Sara). Also, sara will be opening the store during this time... see the schedule below for our store hours during this time:
July 3rd (Wed)- Noon-5pm
July 5th (Fri)- Noon-5pm
July 8th (Mon)- Noon-5pm
July 10th (Wed)- Noon-5pm
July 12th (Fri)- Noon-5pm
July 14th (Sun)- Noon-5pm
Also, all sharpening services will be on hold from June 25th until July 21st.
If you need to contact us while we are out of town, we will be checking our e-mail regularly. For Jon, please send e-mails to Jon@JapaneseKnifeImports.com and for Sara, please send e-mails to Sara@JapaneseKnifeImports.com.
Thank you so much for your patience and understanding.
-Jon
]]>How cool is this? We are so excited and thankful for S. Irene Virbila for taking the time to come out and meet us. Here's the article:
A friendly reminder... We will be closed from March 2nd, reopening on March 8th. Click the link below for more info...
http://www.japaneseknifeimports.com/out-of-town
If so, we've got a video for you ;)
Hope you like is. Let us know if you have any questions.
-Jon
So, have you ever used carbon steel knives before? It takes a little bit of getting used to, but its not so difficult. A lot of what goes into using carbon steel knives is just common sense and learning how to work clean and be well organized. Carbon steel can be reactive when cutting acidic elements. This tends to be the biggest problem for people getting used to working with carbon steel knives. Learning how to deal with this is pretty simple. One very important thing to do is to keep a damp towel folded up in the corner of your cutting board (right corner if you are right-handed or left corner if you are left-handed). This towel will be used to wipe off the sides of your knife from time to time. This helps reduce food/juice buildup on the sides of the blade. When you cut more highly acidic foods, wipe off the sides more often. Also, the moisture from wiping helps to reduce friction while cutting. The damp towel can also be used to wire off your cutting board from time to time. Its also important to keep a clean dry towel nearby as well. I usually keep it near the top of my cutting board. Every time i am done using my knife, i wipe it clean with the damp towel and dry it off with the dry towel. This way i can make sure i am never leaving it wet or dirty.
If you are planning on storing your blade for some time, you may also want to consider giving it a light coat of tsubaki oil or mineral oil (no food oils... they go rancid... also no oils you wouldnt want to eat... i.e. gun oils, etc.). Carbon steel is also prone to forming a patina (a safe form of oxidation unlike rust, which is a harmful form of oxidation). Some people like patinas and that is fine. Just make sure its a patina and not rust (red/orange are bad colors to see). If you dont like patinas, you can clean your blade with a number of tools... anything from rust erasers (we sell these, but they arent on our website... just ask if you are interested), to non-bleach powdered cleansers, to various metal polish (flitz, adams, etc.). If you do notice some rust, clean it up and be a bit more careful in the future. Thats about it.
]]>Thought you guys might enjoy these videos...
The first one is the forgewelding of the hagane and jigane (hard and soft steels). This is the first process in making clad single bevel knives:
The second video shows some cold forging. This is a process done after the forging to shape, but before the heat treatment.
]]>
When Sara and I first started Japanese Knife Imports, we decided that every year we would head back to Japan to spend time with the craftsmen we work with- working on new projects, training and learning about sharpening and blacksmithing, traveling to new areas and meeting new craftsmen, and so on. Because we work directly with most of the craftsmen we deal with, this personal connection is a very important part of our business. This trip also gives us an opportunity to improve our skills in sharpening and our understanding of knives (through the study of blacksmithing, handle making, saya making, etc.).
This year we will be traveling to Japan from September 19th 2012 to October 20th2012. During this time, our store will be closed and we will not be shipping out orders. However, you are more than welcome to place orders through our website during this time. All orders placed during this time will be shipped out when we return from Japan (most likely on October 22nd 2012… the first weekday after we return). Orders placed before 3pm PDT on September 18th 2012 will be shipped out before we leave for Japan.
While in Japan, we will be traveling to various cities and meeting with a number of craftsmen. We will do our best to post updates to our blog, facebook, twitter, instagram, and whatever else we can. You can find our blog atblog.japaneseknifeimports.com, follow us on twitter @JKnifeImports, or search us out on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/JapaneseKnifeImports.
If you need to reach us at japan, we will be checking e-mails regularly (though our response may be a bit delayed). Please send e-mails to eitherJon@JapaneseKnifeImports.com or Sara@JapaneseKnifeImports.com. You can also reach us via skype (username- JBroida) or by calling (310)594-7802 (our skype number). We will also do our best to check voicemail at the store whenever possible.
Thank you so much for your patience and understanding… see you guys when we get back. I promise to take lots of pictures and video again this year.
-Jon and Sara
And for those of you who want to see all of the product videos we have, they are organized into a nice little playlist here:
]]>Do you sharpen your own knives? I do. In fact, I’m kind of obsessed with it. I firmly believe that everyone should learn how to sharpen their own knives. You can’t really get the best out of your knives until you really understand sharpening. Once you have it down, you can change your knives to better suit your style (or even just the task at hand). If you are rough with knives, you can increase the angle of your bevel to create a more robust edge. If you have a delicate touch and like the feeling of your knife literally falling through food, you can decrease that angle. You can thin your knife, change asymmetrical bevels, or put on micro-bevels. Learning how to really sharpen is the ONLY way you will get the most out of your knives in the long run.
However, I know that there are some of you that have absolutely no interest in sharpening knives, but still want to own and use Japanese knives. That’s ok. I get it. I don’t judge (well… I do. But just a little). We also have a knife sharpening service... you can read more about it here:
http://www.japaneseknifeimports.com/about-knife-sharpening#1
Let me tell you why I like each of these items so much.
The JKI Diamond Flattening Plate. This is the stone flattener i am currently using and have been using for quite some time now. Its pretty coarse at 150 grit and has a nice surface texture to reduce sticking. “Stone flattener?” you say. Yes. Water stones need to be flat in order to sharpen well on them. Over time they will dish, or become concave in the parts most used. This is bad. It needs to be fixed. The JKI Diamond Flattening Plate is a great way to do this.
Gesshin 400- Every sharpening kit needs a stone for fixing really bad chips or setting an initial angle. The Japanese call this an Ara-toishi, or coarse stone. This is hands down the best coarse stone in this grit range i have used (that doesnt cost $400... there's always an exception ;) ). It is VERY fast cutting, works well on all steel types, leaves an even finish, has great tactile feedback, and is just a general joy to use. It does dish in use, so it will need to be flattened from time to time (or you can learn to use the whole surface of the stone more effectively). Really, I cant express how much I love this stone.
Introducing Gesshin Kagero... the first powdered steel knife in the Japanese Knife Imports lineup. Check out the sweet knife cases these guys come with.
http://www.japaneseknifeimports.com/...in-kagero.html
From the Product Description:
"Gesshin Kagero knives are constructed with a stainless powdered steel core and softer stainless cladding. They have very good edge retention and take a very good edge. These knives have a really nice distal taper, rounded spine and choil, and good edge geometry. They are not as brittle as some other powdered steels, such as SG1 or SG2, but have equal (and sometimes better edge retention). They are also pretty easy to sharpen.
Each Gesshin Kagero knife comes with a padded knife case for you to store and transport your knife. Please use some kind of edge guard or sheath inside of the padded knife case."
You can also buy the padded knife cases separately here:
http://www.japaneseknifeimports.com/...ases-bags.html