Thread: Japanese straight questions

Originally Posted by niftyshaving

Why...
History.... quality steel was rare and expensive.
The Japanese frugal solution was to weld
small amount on one side. Once
the weld was done the wedge shape
of the final knife is a given.

Yes with twice the steel it would have been
possible but difficult and more expensive to
weld the fine EXPENSIVE stuff in the middle
as a sandwich.

Japan was and is a resource starved island.

There are also asymmetrical 'Honyaki' knives made from one piece of steel & differentially tempered but yes, they are expensive. The sandwiching technique is an attempt to mimic their qualities at lower cost.