On the other hand the market for both traditional and western style Japanese knives is exploding. And there is growing market for premium knives made from tama

On the other hand the market for both traditional and western style Japanese knives is exploding. And there is growing market for premium knives made from tamahagane and using traditional sword making techniques. The case with Wilfried Fehrekampf and blaupließten - he was the last to know the traditional German grind (not the axes that Wusthof repurposes as knives lately) - but he found apprentices and the new Herder 1922 are terrific. There will always be market for the traditional.