Japanese knife pr0n

[trixtah]

I like knives, I always have done. I'm not into buying Japanese steelware because I want to pretend to be some kind of samurai, but because they (generally) have the best steel. Ideally, I'd like about 4 (good) kitchen knives, but I'm seriously tossing up whether to just jump for an all-round santoku for now.

So, while I was having a good old browse, I came across the best Japanese knife site so far. There are groovy pics on how the knives are made, and nice wee stories and potted histories on random pages throughout:

Knives in the early days didn't have any decorations. They were tools of beauty, born for simple and practical uses. Knives were made for durability and people carefully maintained knives for a long life. There were very few foolish people who let rust or other problems spoil their precious tools. In those times, neglecting to maintain tools was to repay kindness with ingratitude.

And that's a philosophy that I can go along with. So, I'm wondering if they're any good, because they're bloody reasonably priced. Even if they're just adequate in Japanese knife terms, I'm hardly a sushi chef, so they'd be more than good enough for me. hmmmmm. I don't need one exactly, right now, but I am missing having at least one decent knife...