Shape-shifting Knives?!

Today, the knife sharpener delivered the finished kitchen knife. Seeing a knife that has been sharpened gives you a better idea of what it’s like than just looking at the material in the forge. This time, it’s a custom-made Fuguhiki knife by Doi. A well-constructed knife tends to return to the state it was in when the blacksmith first crafted it. The craftsman mentioned as he was leaving, “This one really tried to revert back a lot!”

There are knives, like Fuguhiki and Takohiki, that “bend” a bit. With movement in various directions, it might seem like there’s no firmness at first glance, but I thought that it might become such a knife precisely because it’s well-constructed. It must be perfect in every aspect and made with traditional methods! Without achieving that feeling… Using special steel with soft iron might be talked about, but it’s just a way to get closer to perfection; it’s nothing more than a cover-up…

It bends gracefully, but when it’s time to cut, it’s firm and goes straight through! “A knife that bends when you want it to bend, exactly as you imagine!” It’s great, isn’t it? (＾＾)

Today, I finally understood the meaning of what a highly skilled sharpener, who used to visit our company often, used to say. He passed away shortly after I entered the knife industry, and even now, there are many things he said that I still don’t understand. I want to experience and truly understand each and every one of them.

Hibishugyo

2006-12-26