About Yoshimi Kato - Second careers are often the best. I know of a burned-out chef, for example, who owns a few knife shops now. Then there's Yoshimi Kato, who left his job as the project manager of a construction company to become a blacksmith after marrying Hiroshi Kato's daughter.
Normally, it takes apprentices some 10 – 15 years to become pros, but Kato-san did it in just 5 years, and is now running the show. He forges most of the Masakage Kiri, Yuki, and Koishi knives that were once his father-in-law's domain. Kato-san also brings a very special level of professionalism and care to his customers’ orders, ensuring that each and every finished blade fully meets his exacting quality standards. 

About the Shape - This is also a multi-purpose knife, but with a slight vegetable bias. Santoku means 'Three Virtues' or 'To solve Three Problems'. The virtues or problems are slicing, dicing and mincing. Santoku is usually found in 160mm - 190mm lengths. These are more and more popular in Western kitchens due to the unique shape and smaller easy to handle size.