Osaka, Japan
I spent a moment with Yasuhiro Hirakawa, Sasuke. The iconic Sakai's knife master, who's legacy looks back 22 generations.
The workshop is barely lit. Only a couple dusty windows let some soft light come in. Yasuhiro turns his tiny lamps on and sits, ready for another day.
He uses the word “kireaji ” repeatedly when describing knives that have been produced in Sakai.
“The kireaji of a knife will change the look of a dish.”
"The knife master controls fire, earth and water.
We say his shop becomes a shrine and the blacksmith himself, a demigod."
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