I find that people who elevate Japanese craft to the level of mystical do so
more because of the spirituality inherent in Shinto and the ritual associated
with the work than any real superiority. I remember taking a hard look at the
katana years back. My friends in college thought it was the greatest sword in
history. For my money that was likely the Uthgarth blade of the Viking era. It
has nearly the crystalline structure, purity, and alloy content of modern high
tech carbon steels. To be entirely honest Wootz Damascus blades were probably
better. And still some chucklehead tries to convince me of the superiority of
the katana regularly.

It really is the mysticism. Everything has a spirit. You treat your tools with
respect edging over into reverence because you want to keep the spirits in them
happy so they do good work. In the west we want some of that magic in our lives.
Fortunately we don't need to go to Japan for it. Talk to any Swede or Icelander
about forest spirits and house spirits, any Greek about dryads, or any Native
American about land spirits. It's the same mysticism just not yet brought into
the modern world. The Japanese managed to retain their mysticism and animism in
the face of Christianity.

My great grandfather was a blacksmith apprenticed in Sweden. Though he was a
Lutheran, he talked to fire spirits, steel spirits, wood spirits, tomten, and
others. My Lutheran minister grandfather didn't talk about it much, but the ways
of the old country were there.

Jeff

On Oct 6, 2014, at 7:20 AM, Michael Blair  wrote:

>> in case anyone missed it
>>   Its the "so cool" part, that never fails to crack me up.
> 
> I got that, Scott.  I've run into at least one too many chaps who
> think the Sun rises and sets on Japanese tools, who approach the
> tools with something akin to a religious epiphany.
> 
> There's no doubt that Japanese woodwork can be amazing, or that
> they have some of the best quality tools.  But there is no "mystical"
> superiority of the tools or the men who use them.  No mystical
> superiority of pull vs push.  Pull suits the posture of working
> seated on the floor.
> 
> Pretty much, the rest of the world stands at a bench.  Thing is,
> planes work either push or pull.  I do have some Japanese planes,
> and they *will* push as well as pull.  But the rest of the world's
> planes will pull as well as push, won't they?
> 
> Big difference between respecting these tools and idolizing them.
> 
> Mike in Sacto
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