Legendary Story of the Blacksmith and His Apprentice
Before delving into the history of Japanese kitchen knives, I would like to share a legendary story that illustrates the teachings of Zen Buddhism and the heart and soul behind the art of Japanese kitchen knives.
During the Kamakura period, there lived a swordsmith in Japan named Goro Nyudou Masamune, who was considered the greatest blacksmith in Japan. He had an apprentice named Muramasa, who also became a great swordsmith and founded his own school of sword-making.
One day, while Muramasa was still an apprentice under Masamune, he challenged his master to a test to see who could forge the finer sword.
The master and the apprentice worked day and night, and when the swords were ready, they went to a small stream. The test involved placing their swords in the stream against the current to see whose blade could cut through everything that flowed down the stream.
Muramasa’s sword, titled “10,000 Cold Nights,” cut through everything that flowed past the blade – leaves, fish, and even the air around it seemed to be sliced by the blade. Muramasa’s sword impressed Master Masamune, and he lowered his blade into the stream to see how well it would perform. The master’s sword, however, only cut through the leaves flowing by, not the fish. The apprentice was proud of his sword’s seemingly superior performance compared to his master’s sword. But a Buddhist monk, who had been observing all of this, approached them and explained what had happened:
“The first sword was indeed a good sword. However, it is an evil blade and thirsts for blood. It does not differentiate between what or whom it cuts. It can cut both heads and butterflies. In contrast, the second sword is finer because it does not cut the innocent and the undeserving.”
Through this story, we see that a sword or a kitchen knife is not merely a tool for cutting. Instead, a good knife or sword must embody the right intention, spirit, and heart.