"...Japanese chisels are too hard for most western woodworking. You have to be careful with Japanese chisels compared to western chisels or the edge will chip..."

I gotta play "devil's advocate" here. It's true that Japanese chisels are much harder than "western" chisels and it's also true that they can chip. But good Japanese chisels are so superior in every other respect that I would have to say that the advantages far outweigh any shortcomings including their typically higher cost.