Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2014 9:58 am
I think it is built into the Japanese character to fuss over stuff like this. It's not a bad thing, as in the cars they build - little ever goes wrong mechanically.
It's not just the sharp blade, the the whole mechanics of the plane. The wood body (oak) must be absolutely flat. Everything working at a very high level of precision, including the craftsmen hand and eye.