Chapter 114 Chapter 24 On the Sword

Seemingly hearing Musashi's voice, the cook No Kosuke woke up from his spring and autumn dream, and he slowly raised his head. "...?" Looking at Musashi with a puzzled face, it took a while to come back to his senses. "welcome." Only then did he realize that when he was dozing off, a guest would come, so he quickly wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth with his hand. "Is there a problem?" With that said, sit up straight. Musashi thought to himself, this man is too leisurely.Although the signboard brazenly says: "Soul Grinding Institute", but if you really let him grind the soul of a samurai, even the best knife will be blunted by him!

However, Musashi only said one sentence: "This is it." He took the saber from his waist. "let me see." As the other party spoke, his thin shoulders stood up even more, one hand rested on his knee, and the other hand took Musashi's saber.And respectfully salute. This man is indifferent to the guests who come to the door, but when facing a sword, no matter it is a famous sword or a blunt sword, he must respect it carefully. Then, he held the handle of the knife with tissue paper, drew the knife out of its sheath, quietly raised the blade to the tip of his eyebrows, and looked at it carefully from the handle to the edge. At this moment, his eyes suddenly changed, as if inserted The other two eyes were shining brightly.

Kosuke put the sword back into its sheath and looked at Musashi. "Please sit down." He stepped back while remaining seated, and handed Musashi the cushion. "excuse me." Musashi did not refuse. Although Musashi came to sharpen the knife, in fact, he saw the signboard saying Honami Menryu, so he must have been a knife sharpener from Kyoto.Maybe it is the apprentice of Master Ben Ami, and maybe he can find out whether Guangyue, who has not heard from him for a long time, is safe, and whether his mother Miaoxiu, who once took care of him, is still alive. Of course Kosuke didn't know the purpose of Musashi's visit, and only regarded him as an ordinary guest, but when he saw Musashi's sword, his attitude changed.

"Is this knife of yours inherited from your ancestors?" he asked Musashi. Musashi replied that this sword has no special origin.Kosuke asked again: Is this a sword?Or a knife for everyday use?Musashi replied: "I haven't used it on the battlefield. It's just better than nothing. I always carry it with me. It's an ordinary cheap knife." Musashi said so. "Ok……" Kosuke looked at Musashi. "How do you want me to grind?" he asked Musashi. "What do you mean by grinding?" "Do you want me to sharpen or not?" "Knife sharpening is meant to be sharpened!"

When Kosuke heard this, his face showed surprise: "Ah! Then I can't help it." Sharpening a knife is meant to be sharpened, and isn't it the duty of a knife sharpener to sharpen a knife? Musashi also looked at Kosuke suspiciously.Kosuke shook his head and said: "I can't sharpen your knife, take it elsewhere and sharpen it!" He pushed the knife back to Musashi. This person is so inexplicable, why does he say he can't grind it?Musashi was rejected, feeling a little unhappy. Musashi was silent, and Kosuke didn't speak. Then someone came to the door.

"Mr. Kosuke." A man who seemed to live nearby came in and said: "Do you have a fishing rod? If you have one, lend it to me. Now the river is high tide, a lot of fish have surfaced, and you can catch a lot! If I have a good harvest tonight, I will definitely send it to you for dinner. Can you lend me your fishing rod?" " Kosuke just happened to be unhappy. "I don't have tools for killing at home, you can borrow them elsewhere!" The neighbor was startled and hurried away.Then, Kosuke looked at Musashi with embarrassment. Musashi gradually felt that he was quite intriguing.Not that he admired his talent or his wit.If you use pottery as a metaphor, it is like a simple tea bowl or pottery vase, which makes people want to find out.

Kosuke had slightly bald hair at the temples, and a tumor that looked like a mouse had been bitten grew on his head, which was covered with a plaster.Just like the natural changes in the kiln transformation, it adds a bit of ancient interest. Musashi looked more and more funny, but he didn't show it, and his expression turned into a happy one. "boss." It took a while for Musashi to speak. "What's up?" Kosuke answered lazily. "Why can't my knife be sharpened? Could it be that my knife is still a blunt knife no matter how sharp it is?" "No."

Kosuke shook his head. "You are the master of this knife, you know it better than anyone else. It is a good knife in Hizen. However, you want me to sharpen it against my intention." "Oh why?" "Everyone who comes with a knife wants me to sharpen it, and they all think it's fine as long as it's sharpened, which makes me very dissatisfied." "But since sharpening the knife..." Kosuke stopped Musashi from continuing with his gestures. "You go to the door and look at my signboard again before talking!" "Your sign says "Soul Grinder." Anything else?"

"That's right. My signboard doesn't say Knife Grinder. Because what I want to sharpen is the soul of a samurai—and this is little known, but it is the teaching of my knife sharpening master." "I see." "I uphold Master's teachings and never sharpen a knife for killing people." "Hmm! That makes sense, may I ask who is your master?" "I have already written on the signboard that my master is Honami Koetsu from Kyoto." When Kosuke said the master's name, he held his head high and his chest high, with a proud expression on his face.

Musashi replied: "I also know Mr. Guangyue, and I was taken care of by his mother Miaoxiu." Musashi also told the story of his relationship with Guangyue back then, which surprised Kosuke. "So, you are the Miyamoto Musashi who made a big splash by defeating Yoshioka Kazumon at Ichijoji Temple?" Saying that, he stared at Musashi with wide eyes. Musashi felt that his words were a bit exaggerated and felt uncomfortable. "Yes, I am Musashi." When Geng Jie heard it, he immediately bowed and said, as if facing a nobleman: "I really don't know Taishan with my eyes, and I'm making a fool of myself! Please don't remember the villain's mistakes."

"No, no, I have also benefited a lot from what you said, boss. The disciples taught by Mr. Guangyue are indeed different from ordinary people." "Master has been sharpening knives since General Muromachi, and he even grinds the swords of the imperial palace. My master often said: Originally, Japanese swords were not used to kill or harm people. They were used to maintain law and order and protect the country. Kindness to the common people and eradication of evil can be said to be the sword of demons. And from the standpoint of humanity, the superiors should be more vigilant and regard the sword that is always worn by the body as the soul of a warrior—so we sharpeners should also Sharpen your knife with that spirit in mind.” "Well! It does make sense." "Therefore, as long as Master sees a good sword, it is like seeing the light of hope for this country. If he gets a bad sword, he will be filled with disgust, let alone pull out the scabbard." "Oh!" Musashi was thoughtful. "So, my saber disgusts you, boss?" "No, that's not the reason. When I came to Edo, I was entrusted by many samurai to sharpen their swords, but none of them could understand the true meaning of swords. They only showed how their swords cut people into four pieces, or cut people from armor to Brow, etc., thinking that swords must be sharpened to kill people. I really hate these, and almost want to give up this industry. A few days ago, I changed my mind and changed the signboard to "Soul Grinding Institute", but, come to the door It's frustrating that customers are still asking for their knives to be sharpened." "So you saw that I made the same request and refused?" "Not really. To be honest, I saw your blade was badly wounded just now, and it was stained with the blood of countless dead people—I thought you were the kind of ronin who boasted of killing countless people, so I was disgusted." As if hearing Koetsu's voice from Kosuke's mouth, Musashi couldn't help but bow his head and listen.Then he said: "I understand everything you said. Please rest assured, I will definitely keep this righteousness in my heart in the future." Kosuke said with a cheerful face: "Then let me sharpen it for you! No, it should be said that it is an honor for us knife sharpeners to grind the soul knife for a warrior like you." Before you know it, the street is already brightly lit. After Musashi explained, he was about to leave. "Excuse me, do you have any other knives?" Kosuke asked. Musashi replied no. "Then I have a few knives here. Although they are not good knives, you can borrow one during the sharpening period." Kosuke took Musashi to the outside room. Kosuke selected a few knives from the knife holder and knife box, and lined them up on the ground. "Please choose one you like." Kosuke said kindly. Musashi was dazzled and didn't know which one to choose.Although he also hopes to have a good knife, but he has always been poor and dare not expect extravagantly. A good knife must have its charm.Musashi could feel the soul of the sword just by holding the scabbard. Pulling the sword out of its sheath is indeed a masterpiece of the Yoshino dynasty.Although Musashi thought that he was not worthy of owning such a high-level sword with his current status and status, he still stared at it for a long time under the lamp and couldn't bear to let go. "Then I choose this one." Musashi expressed his hope. Musashi didn't say to borrow it, because he didn't want to return the sword to Kosuke at all.A masterpiece smelted by a famous craftsman has its own strong charm, and before Kosuke can answer, Musashi has already decided on this knife in his heart. "As expected of a good eye." Kosuke put away the other knives. Musashi felt irritated by the momentary greed. If there was an offer, it would be an expensive knife... Musashi was full of confusion, but couldn't suppress the desire to own it, so he blurted out. "Mr. Kosuke, can you give me this knife?" "Can." "How much?" "As long as the price I ask is fine." "How much is that?" "Twenty gold coins." "..." Musashi was very regretful that he shouldn't have such greed, because he didn't have the money at all. "I'll give it back to you!" He put the knife back in front of the farming interface. "why?" Kosuke felt puzzled. "If you don't buy it, I can lend it to you, so you can use it!" "No, I don't want to borrow it at all. The first time I saw it, I wanted to own it. I was tormented by this desire in my heart. Although I knew I couldn't own it, but I still wanted to borrow it. I will definitely be very sad when I return it in the future." .” "Do you like it so much?" Kosuke compares the sword to Musashi. "Okay! Since you are so obsessed with this knife, I will give it to you! However, you must also give me something." This is so pleasing.Musashi accepted it unceremoniously, and then thought that he was poor.A ronin who only owns a sword has nothing to repay. Kosuke said: "My master Guangyue once said that you can carve. If you have a statue of Guanyin carved by yourself, I will exchange this knife with you." After listening to Musashi, who had a sad face, all the pressure in his heart disappeared. The hand-carved Avalokitesvara statue that Musashi carried with him was left in the Dharma Grassland, and there was not even a half Buddha statue around him at the moment. So Musashi asked Kosuke to give him a few days. "Not urgent." Kosuke didn't care. "It's better to live with me at the inn on Fanma Street. I have a vacant room on the second floor. You can move in here!" Musashi couldn't ask for more. Musashi told Kosuke that he would move here tomorrow and carve a statue of Guanyin. Kosuke was very happy. "Then let's take a look at that room first!" Kosuke brought Musashi inside. "OK." Musashi followed. The house was not very spacious.There is a ladder at the end of the corridor outside the tea room. After climbing five or six steps, you can see a room about eight tatami mats above. You can see the tops of apricot trees in front of the window, and the young leaves are covered with night dew. "That's my knife sharpening room." The hut the boss was referring to had a roof made of oyster shells. Kosuke had ordered his wife to prepare meals at some point. "Come and have a drink!" The couple made a toast to Musashi. After a few cups, the host and the guest were already informal and open-minded, talking about everything related to swords. When it comes to swords, Kosuke almost forgets himself.The originally pale cheeks became as rosy as a boy's, and the mouth was frothy, and he didn't care if the saliva sprayed on the other party's face. "Everyone just said that the sword is the sacred weapon of our country and the soul of the samurai. However, whether it is a samurai, a businessman or a priest, everyone does not cherish the sword. I once had a volunteer and spent several years visiting various shrines and mansions. The second is to look for the best of ancient swords. But I found that few people can be satisfied with owning famous swords since ancient times, and even few people can collect them well. This makes me feel very sad. For example, the Suwa Shrine in Shinshu has There are more than 300 long-historic Benna knives, of which only five are not rusty. In addition, the Tibetan knives of Omishima Shrine in Iyo country are famous. I spent more than a month of investigation and found that although several Of the more than 3,000 swords that have been hidden for a hundred years, only ten are still shining, which is really regrettable." Then he said: "Everyone thinks that the swords handed down from ancient times and the secret hidden swords are very precious, but they don't know how to cherish them. It's like parents who blindly spoil their children but don't know how to raise them. No, human children may be born again in the future Out of good children, among the majority, some stupid children are not in the way, but the sword is different." Having said that, Kosuke swallowed a mouthful of saliva, the light in his eyes rekindled, and his thin shoulders shrugged even higher. "Except for the sword itself, it seems that everything has deteriorated with the times. From Muromachi to the Sengoku period, the technology of making swords has gradually deteriorated, and it may become worse in the future. I think we must protect ancient swords, because these are ancestral Japanese swords. Famous knives, no matter how good the modern technology is, no second knives can be imitated. This is really a pity and regrettable thing.” After finishing speaking, he seemed to remember something and stood up suddenly. "Look at this knife, someone asked me to sharpen it. It's a pity that it's all rusted." He took out a very long katana sword and placed it in front of Musashi, confirming that what he had just said was true. Musashi was looking at the long knife easily, but suddenly, he was taken aback. Isn't this Sasaki Kojiro's "clothes drying pole"? In fact, it is not surprising at all, this is a knife sharpening shop, of course someone will send swords here. However, Musashi never expected to see Sasaki Kojiro's sword here, and he couldn't help but remind him of the past. "Oh! This sword is so long! It must have been worn by an unusual warrior." Musashi said. "That's right." Kosuke agrees with Musashi. "I've seen a lot of knives over the years, but I've rarely seen one as long as this. But..." Kosuke pulled out the "clothes drying pole" from its scabbard, turned the back of the knife to Musashi, and showed it to Musashi. "You see, it's a pity it's rusted in three or four places. But it's serviceable." "I see." "Fortunately, this knife was smelted by a famous craftsman in Kamakura. Although it takes a little effort, the rusty part can be worn off. Even if the ancient knife is rusty, it is only a thin layer on the surface. But it is a new knife in modern times. , if it gets rusty, I'm afraid it can't be used. When a new knife rusts, it's like a malignant tumor, which will erode the heart of the knife. This alone can tell that the smelting technology of a new knife cannot be compared with that of an ancient knife. .” "Put it away, please." Musashi turned the blade to himself, turned the back to Kosuke and returned it to him. "May I ask if the owner of this knife came here in person?" "No, once when I went to the Hosokawa's house for business, Mr. Iwama Kakubei of the Hosokawa's house asked me to drop by his house before going home. When I went, he entrusted me with the sword and said yes His guests." Under the lamp, Musashi was fascinated by the knife, and he said to himself: "It's a very good quality knife." "Because this is a big sword, it must be carried on the shoulder. The owner of the sword entrusted me to change it into a sword worn on the waist. If it is not a samurai who is burly and skilled, it is impossible to wear this long sword on the waist. .” Kosuke looked at the knife and muttered to himself. It seems that the master seemed to be tired when the wine was hot.Musashi took the opportunity to say goodbye and leave.As soon as he went outside, he found that the lights in the street had been extinguished, and it was dark everywhere.He hadn't expected him to stay there for so long, and it must be midnight now. Since Musashi's inn was diagonally opposite, he quickly returned to the inn, and he walked up to the second floor from the door in the dark.At first I thought Yizhi was already asleep, but unexpectedly there were two quilts in the room, but there was no sign of Yizhi, and the pillows were also tidy and no one had slept on them. "Haven't you come back yet?" Musashi was a little worried. Iori was not familiar with Edo Castle, so he might have lost his way. Musashi went downstairs and shook the concierge awake.The porter replied sleepily: "It seems that he hasn't come back yet. Didn't he go out with you, sir?" The concierge looked at Musashi with a puzzled look on his face. "……Strange." Musashi couldn't sleep, he went to wait under the eaves where he couldn't see his fingers.