Honyaki is a special class of Japanese knives, hand forged of a single piece of steel using traditional methods, very expensive. Hitachi is a corporation that has a group that makes steel, that group has a division that makes cutlery steel. Shirogami 1 is one of these cutlery steels, you see it only in Japanese knives as it is not exported. Gyuto is a chef's knife and so can be directly compared to chef's knives made in Japan, China, USA, France, or Germany. get 10 knife owners together, and you may have 10 different 'best' gyutos. as far as which steel is best, get 10 knife makers together and you may have 10 'best' steels. are you looking for a bragging rights knife or a daily user? you want a braggin rites knife, get one of these http://www.jayfisher.com/Vega_Larvikite.htm. for me a daily user is more about size, weight, and ergonomics. find a store that has knives you can touch and see which one fits and handles the best for you.what is honyaki? also is what is hitachi? Yes but one can use shirogami 1 on a chopping board succesfully i belive(?)
single piece, no cladding got to look up what is available, I would think more shirogami as it is a more traditional steelSo does honyaki have cladding of other metals on the knife, or does it have shirogami cladding or is just one single piece without cladding? and you can get honyaki with both aomi and shirogami steel right?
Yes: if it says honyaki, it's a single solid steel knife.single piece, no cladding got to look up what is available, I would think more shirogami as it is a more traditional steel