Thread: Shigefusa and his Whetstones

I think I understand the point of Alx. He may not be that far from the truth.
Of course DrNaka has been treated with a lot of respect, but I think what Alx wants to imply is that
even though you were invited as a guest you were not told/shown all secrets (if there were any, that is).

I have been invited to Opel, you know the car manufacturer.
I have been treated with great respect and have seen many things.
But of course, I didn´t see it all.

If I were to ask what kind of steel they used for their car bodies,
they would have told me "one that works good for us".
He may even tell me about the properties of the steel they used,
but they wouldn´t tell me exactly wich one it is.

That is the difference between treating someone with respect and respectfully explaining,
and really telling the secret. You were told what properties his stone has. But you were not given the means to reproduce it (the kasumi) yourself, were you?
I know, that wasn´t your point in asking him, but I think that is what Alx wanted to say.

If I am correct your point is:
This famous knife maker does not care about special high quality japanese naturals.
They have to perform. But you were not told how to tell wich ones will perform ok.
Or how to obtain the skill necesary for the Kasumi finish (how could he possibly tell you, right? )

Btw. I don´t see much of a point in high quality japanese naturals for kitchen knives myself.
If I want to go crazy on my Santoku or Yanagiba, I hit the Oohira.
Otherwise a 6-7.000 natural Suita is just perfect.
With razors on the other hand, it´s a different story