I think the premise is fallacious..
I believe top-of-the-game Japanese bikes/frames get great respect by those with a knowledge of the craft, but Japanese work is viewed differently because.... the work is different! I could expound on this for hours (at the Cirque in 9 days!!) but:
- The origination of style is generally European. The Japanese do marvelous interpretation of those styles but the source is undeniable.
- The Japanese execution is often close to perfect, the "sign of the hand" is often polished and burnished away...Euro master's did not go this far, leaving individualistic traces of the work... This is interesting to me as I think in native Japanese forms, such as Raku pottery and calligraphy, the "sign of the hand" is retained and appreciated.
- Finally, the top Japanese bike frames have had little exposure to many of us.. Except for 3Rensho and Zunow, we have had virtually none of the "good stuff" imported into the USA. I have a Japanese magazine I got from Mike Melton in the late 1970s and I have studied every page and photo over and over and I see some really neat builders and products that never were seen by USA bike folks...
My 2 centz, Dale
Dale Brown cycles de ORO, Inc. 1410 Mill Street Greensboro, North Carolina USA 27408 336-274-5959 Fax 336-274-6360 <A HREF="http://www.cyclesdeoro.com">cyclesdeORO.com</A> <A HREF="http://www.classicrendezvous.com/main.htm">Classic Rendezvous</A>