Buying knives in Kyoto

One of our missions while in Kyoto was to purchase a Japanese knife. After a bit of searching we found a place away from the tourist area that is run by a lovely old gentleman that speaks very little English. As the prices were very reasonable compared to the knife companies in the tourist areas we ended up purchasing 2 knives and a water stone to keep them sharp. We had dreams of buying a special sashimi knife, but as these are very specific types of knives they cost over $600. We returned to the same same shop the next day to purchase a bonsai set for a friend.