OK folks, let's start this sale off with a BANG! 
This knife has some serious knife forum/community history!
It started off, I believe, being owned by one of the earliest KF ITK (that's Knifeforums - InTheKitchen subforum) members named joec (also a member here until his death) nicknamed the "The One Eyed Turtle" because he literally had only one eye (wore an old school eye patch) and had an old sea turtle for an avatar (that we doctored an eye patch onto). Joe was such a great guy online but if you ever met him in person you'd know that he was even a better person than that. He was part owner of a self storage facility in KY at the time of his death.
While Joe owned this knife he had it rehandled by the legendary Fish 'n Poi who resided in HI until his death. I've talked about Fish before, how he was the very first person in the world to rehandle kitchen knives, specifically going after Japanese kitchen knives. He is the father of all things rehandle! His designs and style were always unique to each knife yet there was a sort of look/theme that you could see in his handles that made them identifiable to him. He was the first person I ever saw using koa. He loved that wood and being a koa cabinet maker/woodworker in a previous life meant that he had a stash of wood to pull from. This particular knife was one of the last knives that Fish rehandled.
Stefan acquired this knife sometime early on in this forums' history, before 2013 for sure. I know this date because Stefan sent the knife to me to have me thin and etch it (spa treatment) in April 2013. See Gallery - Hiromoto AS... Full Spa Treatment for pics. This blade is one of the old school "drippy cladding" types that were only made early on. Stefan purchased this knife to secure it and take care of it knowing the value of the Fish handle.
This make/model knife is no longer being produced (for several years now) as the maker retired and had no heirs to take on his business.
Stats:
Model - Hiromoto AS Western
Size - 240mm
Steel - Stainless clad over Aogami Super core
Handle - Custom Fish 'n Poi / 2 part western / koa and mystery wood / Mother of Pearl inlays over pins / black liners / copper spacer / nickel silver butt cap
Blade - Thinned & Etched
Current Condition - The blade has some light scuff and scratches in the cladding but overall looks pretty nice considering it's age/use post-etch. The handle has some of it's finish (which appears to maybe be CA glue?) peeled away (but again) it's overall in very nice shape/feel for it's age/use. Some patina/rust spots seen on the tang. The blade is sharp-ish, cuts paper in both slice and push cut directions, yet isn't perfectly sharp. Patina seen on the cutting edge. See pictures below for details.
Packaging - Padded zipper case included
Shipping Costs/Etc. - Included in the price inside for USA buyers only. International buyers will pay an additional $45 fee. *Note - Custom declaration forms will have the actual price paid listed on the forms for insurance purposes.
Price - $825
Payment Type - Paypal
First to pay gets it. PM for payment details.
*Whoever buys this should be someone with a good amount of Japanese knife experience, someone who can appreciate what this knife is and what it means to the community, how to take care of it, sharpen it properly, and most of all try to be a good steward of it so that it can be cherished and enjoyed by it's next owner. I don't wish to discourage the inexperienced buyer but this particular knife is special and needs to be treated this way. I'm sorry if this offends, it's not meant to.
To Summarize - This is one of those rare beasts for sure! It's a knife that's not made anymore, constructed from Aogami Super steel with a stainless steel outer jacket, it's had it's blade thinned for performance and etched to bring out the steel's pattern (with crazy dripping cladding!) by myself, has a Fish 'n Poi custom handle, and was owned by both Joe C and Stefan Keller!!
This knife has some serious knife forum/community history!
It started off, I believe, being owned by one of the earliest KF ITK (that's Knifeforums - InTheKitchen subforum) members named joec (also a member here until his death) nicknamed the "The One Eyed Turtle" because he literally had only one eye (wore an old school eye patch) and had an old sea turtle for an avatar (that we doctored an eye patch onto). Joe was such a great guy online but if you ever met him in person you'd know that he was even a better person than that. He was part owner of a self storage facility in KY at the time of his death.
While Joe owned this knife he had it rehandled by the legendary Fish 'n Poi who resided in HI until his death. I've talked about Fish before, how he was the very first person in the world to rehandle kitchen knives, specifically going after Japanese kitchen knives. He is the father of all things rehandle! His designs and style were always unique to each knife yet there was a sort of look/theme that you could see in his handles that made them identifiable to him. He was the first person I ever saw using koa. He loved that wood and being a koa cabinet maker/woodworker in a previous life meant that he had a stash of wood to pull from. This particular knife was one of the last knives that Fish rehandled.
Stefan acquired this knife sometime early on in this forums' history, before 2013 for sure. I know this date because Stefan sent the knife to me to have me thin and etch it (spa treatment) in April 2013. See Gallery - Hiromoto AS... Full Spa Treatment for pics. This blade is one of the old school "drippy cladding" types that were only made early on. Stefan purchased this knife to secure it and take care of it knowing the value of the Fish handle.
This make/model knife is no longer being produced (for several years now) as the maker retired and had no heirs to take on his business.
Stats:
Model - Hiromoto AS Western
Size - 240mm
Steel - Stainless clad over Aogami Super core
Handle - Custom Fish 'n Poi / 2 part western / koa and mystery wood / Mother of Pearl inlays over pins / black liners / copper spacer / nickel silver butt cap
Blade - Thinned & Etched
Current Condition - The blade has some light scuff and scratches in the cladding but overall looks pretty nice considering it's age/use post-etch. The handle has some of it's finish (which appears to maybe be CA glue?) peeled away (but again) it's overall in very nice shape/feel for it's age/use. Some patina/rust spots seen on the tang. The blade is sharp-ish, cuts paper in both slice and push cut directions, yet isn't perfectly sharp. Patina seen on the cutting edge. See pictures below for details.
Packaging - Padded zipper case included
Shipping Costs/Etc. - Included in the price inside for USA buyers only. International buyers will pay an additional $45 fee. *Note - Custom declaration forms will have the actual price paid listed on the forms for insurance purposes.
Price - $825
Payment Type - Paypal
First to pay gets it. PM for payment details.
*Whoever buys this should be someone with a good amount of Japanese knife experience, someone who can appreciate what this knife is and what it means to the community, how to take care of it, sharpen it properly, and most of all try to be a good steward of it so that it can be cherished and enjoyed by it's next owner. I don't wish to discourage the inexperienced buyer but this particular knife is special and needs to be treated this way. I'm sorry if this offends, it's not meant to.
To Summarize - This is one of those rare beasts for sure! It's a knife that's not made anymore, constructed from Aogami Super steel with a stainless steel outer jacket, it's had it's blade thinned for performance and etched to bring out the steel's pattern (with crazy dripping cladding!) by myself, has a Fish 'n Poi custom handle, and was owned by both Joe C and Stefan Keller!!
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