# Watanabe?



## larrybard (Jun 23, 2017)

Im embarrassed to admit that I am not certain about the identity of one of my knives. (Actually, several, but thats not immediately relevant.) Im rather disorganized, and sometimes in the past when I have purchased a knife I havent labeled the box (or, if Ive removed the knife and put it in a knife case, I havent labeled the knife). And although many of my knives are readily identifiable from a makers mark, in some instances I am unfamiliar with the kanji (and, as is the case with this one, can hardly make it out in order to compare it to pictures of other knives by the same maker).

A forum participant recently asked to borrow a Watanabe, and I am happy to comply  but am not at all sure whether I have singled out the correct knife. Ive pictured the one I have which I think is the Watanabe I purchased a couple of years ago, and which I am pretty sure was this one:
http://www.kitchen-knife.jp/pro/gyuto.htm
In other words, according to my notes the one I purchased had been advertised as: Watanabe Pro Kurouchi Gyuto 180mm Total length: 320mm, Width: 45mm, Thickness: taper spine 4.5 - 1.6mm, Double bevel Blade: Yasuki blue steel core with stainless outer, Handle: burnt chestnut wood 

Can anyone confirm that the knife Ive posted picture of is indeed a Watanabe?

Thanks,
Larry


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## Marcelo Amaral (Jun 23, 2017)

It is an Itinomonn.


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## TheCaptain (Jun 23, 2017)

Let's see if I can make this work...

ETA - This is my Wat Nakiri which is my instagram avatar. See if you can zoom in and get a better look at the Kanji.


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## chinacats (Jun 23, 2017)

Marcelo Amaral said:


> It is an Itinomonn.



Sure is...


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## larrybard (Jun 23, 2017)

Ugh! Thanks guys. Really appreciate your help. Apparently the pictured knife is the 210mm KU white #2 Itinomonn I picked up a few years ago from JNS.

So my Watanabe is MIA. I'm optimistic it will turn up -- i.e., I'll recognize it when I see it.


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## preizzo (Jun 23, 2017)

Sure itinomonn


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## preizzo (Jun 23, 2017)

Nice one!! Don't sell it!!


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## OliverNuther (Jun 24, 2017)

You've got too many knives if you can't remember which is which.

I'm not saying that's a bad thing.........


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## larrybard (Jun 24, 2017)

OliverNuther said:


> You've got too many knives if you can't remember which is which.
> 
> I'm not saying that's a bad thing.........



Definitely guilty as charged. (But it's not simply a matter of having too many knives (by most "normal" standards; it's compounded by my disorganzation, as well as inadequate knowledge, etc.)


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## icanhaschzbrgr (Jun 25, 2017)

Marcelo Amaral said:


> It is an Itinomonn.


Yep.





Two Watanabe knives I had in the past. The top one is 180mm "PRO" line gyuto.

I remember Maxim had done a small run of iron clad Ichinomonn line knives a while back, and yours looks like one of them.


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## larrybard (Jun 25, 2017)

icanhaschzbrgr said:


> . . . .
> 
> I remember Maxim had done a small run of iron clad Ichinomonn line knives a while back, and yours looks like one of them.



You're almost certainly correct. According to my notes, it was purchased as part of the run he publicized a couple of years ago on KKFora:
http://www.kitchenknifefora.com/threads/group-buy-suji-210mm.1062


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## Dirt (Jul 18, 2017)

You will certainly recognize your wat when it turns up pretty much unmistakable in identity unless you have a Toyama too....


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## larrybard (Jul 19, 2017)

Dirt said:


> You will certainly recognize your wat when it turns up pretty much unmistakable in identity unless you have a Toyama too....



Yes, I also have a couple of Toyamas -- but the sizes are different, so presumably I can nevertheless distinguish them from the Watanabe based solely on size.


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