Japanese knife culture

Japan called it "Tatsu Yamashiro" in ancient times, and the name "Japanese Dao" originated from foreign countries.

Ouyang Xiu, a poet in the Northern Song Dynasty, mentioned in his poem "Song of Japanese Knife" that "Kunyi has a long way to go, and no one can be poor. Bao Dao went abroad recently, and Yue Jiade crossed the sea. Fish skin wrapped in a fragrant wooden sheath, yellow and white? ? Use copper. A hundred gold attracts a good hand, and I admire you for killing evil spirits. " The poem records some information about Japanese knives. At that time, people in China called it that foreign businessmen (now in the south of China) went to Japan to buy knives, and described the shape and style of Japanese knives from an artistic point of view. As can be seen from this poem, Japanese knives were recognized by foreign countries in the late heian period and the early Kamakura era and became one of Japan's export products (see Song-Japan Trade and Tomorrow Trade). Murakami is famous for his relationship with the Tokugawa family. Several members of the Tokugawa family were killed and wounded by Murakami's sword. Two generations of Master Songping before Konka were all killed by Murakami's sword. Tokugawa Ieyasu's grandfather Qingkang and his father Guangzhong were assassinated by the recent minister, and they both used Murakami's knife. Konka herself was injured by Murakami's knife in her childhood. 1579, Nobuyasu, the eldest son of Tokugawa Ieyasu, was sentenced to death by Nobuyasuda and died by the sword named Shi Jucunzheng. These are all coincidences, but in the battle of Guanyuan in 1600, the long gun of Chongtian Hanoi guarding the long whistle accidentally injured Konka's finger, and it was the injured finger that year. Coincidentally, this pike was also made in Shizhou Village. This led Tokugawa Ieyasu to conclude that "Murakami Knife is a monster that puzzles the Tokugawa family" and ordered the destruction of all Murakami Knives. During the Edo period, although the swordsmen in Ishinomura were still making Japanese knives, under the pressure of the shogunate, no one dared to carry Murakami's knives in public anymore, and Murakami's knives were renamed more often. Therefore, the authenticity of existing villages is extremely rare.

It is also related to the historical period when Murakami was called the demon sword. Murakami was born in the turbulent middle of Muromachi, and there was a great demand for Japanese swords, which led to the emergence of a large number of inferior swords, but Murakami still insisted on making excellent combat knives. In fact, so many Tokugawa people are equipped with village knives, and all the deaths and injuries caused by Tokugawa people come from within the family, so coincidence is actually unfortunate.

In the edo period, the society was peaceful, and the sword changed from practicality to gorgeous appearance decoration. At that time, sword physiognomy was judged by the sharpness of the knife. Too sharp actual combat knives were called "demon sword" and "evil sword" and other unlucky names ... So in the late Edo period, the concept that the village was just a demon knife was deeply rooted in people's hearts.

As a knife maker, the name of Zhencun first appeared in the middle of Muromachi, and it was used as a knife inscription for about 100 years. Obviously, Murakami is not the name of a knife maker, which can also be confirmed by the existing shape and inscription of Murakami's knife. According to research, at least three generations of Ise swordsmen have used Murakami. His original name is Saemonnojo, and he is a famous mulberry tree in Yi Shi. The earliest existing village was built in 150 1, and the sword was engraved with the words "Sang Ming of Zhongzhou lives in Uemon Weifujiyuan Village". 1797, Zhe Zhiping helped Li Fang to write a classic sword study book "Huaibaochi". It is suggested to judge the quality of a sword by its cutting power. The formula is divided into four grades according to cutting force. The most important thing (さぃじょぅぉぉわざもの), that is, a sword that can cut through 90% of the whole human body thickness, is an amazing thing. Those who can cut off one layer are called "one trunk", those with two layers are called "two trunks", and so on. The result will not exceed "three trunks". However, according to records, there have been "four trunks" and even "seven trunks". Tested Japanese knives usually write something on the handle, such as "what to cut somewhere or how many barrels to break", which is similar to a quality assurance.

The civilized method of knife testing is hard object testing, mostly with armor, forged iron plate, antlers and other hard objects. When appreciating the sword, we must consider the safety of the people present and try to avoid damaging the sword. First, sit in a safe position. Raise the sword with both hands, and then bow to show respect for the craftsman and utensils. Then, hold the scabbard with the left hand, and the bottom of the scabbard is forward; Hold the handle with your right hand and hold it against the blade, that is, the blade faces the palm of your right hand. Keep the blade up. First, gently pull out a short blade to confirm whether the blade is clamped in the sheath. If the blade is tightly clamped and forcibly pulled out at one time, it may cause the blade to fly out of control and endanger yourself and others.

After that, the blade is pulled out to the cutting part at a slow speed in one breath. If there is a pause in the middle, it may scratch the knife surface or the inside of the scabbard. When drawing a knife, it is necessary to avoid the contact between the two sides of the blade and the inside of the sheath, and the back of the blade can abut against the edge of the sheath to prevent the blade or sheath from being scratched. First support it at the opening (hole) of the scabbard, and then slowly move the blade away from the scabbard. After the knife is pulled out, put the scabbard aside first, and then slowly appreciate the sword.

When you appreciate a sword, you should first sharpen it, and never point it at others. If we regard the blade as the front of the sword, we should appreciate Taidao from its right side and punch from its left side, which is related to the direction of the inscription, that is, we should appreciate the side engraved with the inscription first. Don't touch the surface of the blade, so the grease on your hand will dirty the blade and destroy the original antirust oil layer. Be careful when appreciating, so as not to spit on the blade and rust. In ancient Japan, there was always a piece of paper (Shikai) about samurai. Some samurai will bite a piece of paper in their mouth before appreciating the sword to prevent the blade from getting wet.

If you want to give the drawn sword to another person, first put the blade upright, first cut it upward, and then point the blade at yourself, and then you can give the handle to another person. Don't let go until you are sure that others can hold the handle tightly.

Stem is an important part of appreciating Japanese Dao, but to appreciate stem, you must get the consent of the knife owner. For the sake of safety, the blade can be put back into the sheath first, and then the nail and handle can be taken out for appreciation.

If you want to put the knife back into the scabbard, first put the carp mouth against the bottom of the scabbard, which is also to prevent the sides of the blade and the blade from contacting the inside of the scabbard, and then let the blade slowly slide back into the scabbard.