Japanese tools

Japanese woodworking tools are among the finest in the world.  They enable excellent results and are a pleasure to use. These are my planes and a recently purchased set of new chisels.  Unfortunately, the users of these tools are becoming fewer and fewer, so the people who make them, sometimes have been for a number of generations, are having a harder time in business.  I once could see the tools for sale in many shops, a wide variety to choose from.  Now, those shops have closed, or they don't sell them anymore.  Furniture makers still trust in them, but many carpenters now say that they don't have the time to sharpen, and the pre-fabrication that is so common in construction these days, doesn't so much require the attention with hand tools.  It is sad, with the disappearance of these tools, a loss of the craftsman's spirit goes with them.  The pleasure of working with wood is greater with the well made tools in your hands, and the fine results they give can be easily seen and admired.  The skill to use the tools with great efficiency takes many years, but it is well worth the effort, and a part of the craftsman's journey.