Nice to meet you

[kumura]

Nice to meet you, I'm kimura living in Japan.
And I work for the Japanese restaurant as a commis.

Now, I 'm interedted in knives so that I try to post messages.
My question is as follows;
Which does cut well Japanese knives or Western knives?

I know I'm blowing my trnpet, but I think Japanese forging techniques are well-developed. But I don't know Western knives cut well or not.

I'm sorry if I make you feel unhappy, but please tell me.

This picture is my Japanese knife.

Edited December 2, 2008 by kumura

[Sam Salvati]

Kumura, welcome. Poorly made knives japanese or western will not cut well, but well made Japanese and Western knives both cut very well.

[CorLupi]

Konbanwa,

I have noticed that there are many differences between smiths in how they make their knifes whether the smith be from japan or western culture each smith has their own specialty, most of the people that I have met favor the Japanese knifes for preparing food because the design of the knife is more adept for the a very fine slicing bevel, a good western smith will incorporate this in the forging process, but it is difficult with high carbon steels, and the process that has been utilized by some of the higher end Japanese smiths makes a superb knife. I know of some western smiths that have adopted this style and even modified it, but in either situation you really need to do you research on the smith, the type of steel used, and the process that the smith put the steel through. Hope that helps

Sayonara

[dablacksmith]

i agree with above posts and add my 2 cents worth ... most factory stuff is crap!

[Chuck Richards]

kumura,

First let me say Welcome to IFORGEIRON. It is a great site and we can all learn a lot from each other.

You are correct in saying that most Japanese Smiths have a well developed forging technique. However like Sam pointed out there are good knives and bad knives in both the west and east. Many of us have practiced the craft for over a decade and have tested our product in the shop and field. I have sold many of my knives to customers in Japan and many other areas around the world. I would like to learn as much as possible from every person i meet. I love to study the diverse methods used by all cultures and apply those that will suit my process and make my product better. Thank you for joining our little forum and I look forward to interchanges in the future.

Regards