ouch-
so if i went against your better judgement (i am stubborn sometimes) and went for a single bevel knife, would that korin (i read they are made for them by suisin) that you have pictured be a nice start? shiro-ko kasumi kamagata usuba (that is a mouthful) is primarily a veggie knife? i realize it is a carbon blade and that i will have to take adequate care so it doesnt rust.
next month during their sale i will get a couple of knives, i am leaning towards a tojiro dp petty (stainless double bevel) and this shiro-ko usuba.
part of the appeal is different metals and different sharpening techniques. i have a bit of a thing for sharp metal objects . chisels and plane irons started all of this.
cheers,
ryan
I do not have nearly the knowledge that Ouch has on this subject, but I heartily endorse his recommendations on starting off with a double-bevel Japanese knife - I have the Tojiros that Ouch referred to above (I bought them on his recommendation) and they are truly amazing knives for the price.
Unless you simply want a single-bevel blade for the challenge of learning how to sharpen one (which I certainly can understand), you should assess your kitchen knife needs - most Japanes knives (except the heavy-bladed ones) are designed for slicing - this is especially the case with the single-bevel blades. I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but for most folks a double-bevel knife will be more useful in a western kitchen and make a better introduction to Japanese knives than a single-bevel knife. On the other hand, if you have a few good all-purpose knives and really want to play with a single-bevel, that's a different story than if you're looking for a knife for everyday use.
My $0.02.