A standing watch

The mark on the blade, read.

Japanese knives and whetstones turn up on public marketplaces every day, signed by makers the seller cannot name. Bladehound reads the signature off the seller's own photographs and estimates what the piece is worth from public sales data.

See everything on watch How it works

On watch right now

Every listing

4.4×倍

Yahoo! Auctions Japanbuy it nowcloses in 6 daysfound 22h ago

Signature as read

正本総本店

Masamoto Sohonten

正本総本店アジ切包丁研ぎ済小出刃包丁鯵切りアジ切り柄交換済新品 135mm

deba · 135 mm · carbon

Asking

$41

Estimated worth

$183

listed at ¥6,480

4.4× the asking price · floor $145

45 comparable listings

identified, moderate confidence

Patina formation will occur rapidly on this carbon steel blade during fish processing, requiring immediate wiping and drying after use. Typical money for Masamoto Sohonten runs near $183 across 45 comparable asks, which puts this $41 asking under the market.

The full record

Buy on Yahoo! Auctions Japan

Bob Kramer (Kramer by Zwilling) listing photograph

2.8×倍

eBaybuy it now

No signature read

Bob Kramer (Kramer by Zwilling)

SAYA ONLY for KRAMER by ZWILLING Damascus Chef's Knife 8” NARROW

gyuto

Asking

$75

Estimated worth

$212

2.8× the asking price · floor $117

63 comparable listings

maker taken from the listing title

There is daylight between the $75 asked here and the $212 that Bob Kramer (Kramer by Zwilling) (per the title) usually commands across 63 comparable asks.

The full record

Buy on eBay

2.6×倍

eBaybuy it now or best offer

Signature as read

正本

Masamoto

Japanese Chef's Kitchen Knife DEBA Vintage hocho OLD from Japan 152/285mm MA045

deba · 285 mm · carbon

Asking

$60

Estimated worth

$158

$98 with shipping

2.6× the asking price · floor $107

40 comparable listings

identified, high confidence

Expect regular patina formation on this carbon edge during prep work involving acidic ingredients. This Masamoto asks $60 where the name's market sits near $158 across 40 comparable asks.

The full record

Buy on eBay

Ranked by asking price against the estimated value. Only listings that carry a ranking appear here, so this is a slice of what is on watch and not the whole of it.

How it works

Watch

Listings are collected from public marketplaces as they appear. Nothing is bought, nothing is sold, and Foodgeist takes no part in any sale.

Read

The mark on the blade is read from the listing photographs and matched against cited maker references. When no signature can be read, the listing says so rather than naming a maker.

Estimate

Where recorded sales of comparable pieces exist, a value is estimated from them and the number of sales behind it is shown. Where they do not exist, the listing shows a researched range and says it has no recorded sale behind it.

The seal

One mark, three grades, read at a glance. A card is sealed in vermillion only when recorded sales stand behind the estimate and the asking price sits below them.

2.6×倍
Under marketexample
1.1×倍
Priced fairlyexample
1.4×倍 est.
Model estimateexample

What this is not

Not an appraisal

The values here are estimates produced from public marketplace data. They are a research aid. Accuracy is not guaranteed, and an estimate is never an authentication of a maker or a piece.

No track record

No item on watch has been bought, resold, or checked against a sale that actually completed. There is no record of outcomes to report, and none is claimed.

No whetstone values

Whetstone ranges are placeholders. They are not drawn from recorded sales of the stone in question, so those listings carry no value badge at all.

Not advice

Nothing here is financial advice. Check the listing, the seller and the item yourself before buying anything. Foodgeist accepts no liability for decisions made with this information.

Some outbound links earn Foodgeist a commission. It costs you nothing, and it changes nothing about what is shown here or how anything is ranked.

On every figure here

Estimated values are AI-generated research aids, not appraisals. Accuracy is not guaranteed, this is not financial advice, and Foodgeist accepts no liability for decisions based on them. Do your own due diligence before buying.

Read the whole of it

The values and identifications shown here are estimates generated by an AI system from public marketplace data and statistical models, and AI can and does make mistakes. They are offered as a helping and research tool, not as a definitive answer, appraisal, or authentication. Every figure is a statistical estimate, not a promise: no value, and no accuracy, is guaranteed. Nothing here is financial or investment advice. Foodgeist accepts no liability or responsibility for decisions made using this information. Before buying anything, do your own due diligence. Check the listing, the seller, and the item yourself.

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