Year End eh?

I've had a number of ideas on things to write about over the past few weeks but events got in the way.  So it more or less boils down to this....

Last might I met up with a drinking buddy for a round at a snack called "Nishiki".  It's a nice little place with interesting decor.  On one wall are a couple of plaques with the Chinese characters 福 and 發 written on them.  On the frames are the cardinal directions, again in Chinese characters, written in somewhat mixed up order.  I asked the proprietress what the meaning of that order was but she replied, "I don't.  I just like the look of the plaques.".  Okay.  So much for an attempt at enlightening conversation.

During the course of last night's drinking my buddy mentioned an example of an "Only in Japan" situation.  He had heard that there is a scissor maker, presumably down in Tokyo, who charges an exorbitant amount for a pair of scissors.  In addition, it takes about three years to make a pair.  Supposedly customers are willing to wait a year and a half to receive the scissors they've ordered.  The price of a pair?  三百四十万円..."three hundred and forty man yen"...¥3,400,000.  By my calculation that presently is over C$35,000.

He then went on to describe how the scissors are made.  First the handle is made.  Then the steel for the cutting edges is layered on to the ends using a technique similar to that employed by Japanese samurai sword makers.  The scissors are then hung outside to age for three years.  At the end of three years they are brought inside.  Since they were hanging outside for three years the scissors had of course rusted.  At that point the blades are sharpened and polished.  Then the scissors are shaped.  If I heard the story correctly, the scissor handles are polished to a bare metal finish and clean of hand oils.  They will be lubricated with the oil from the hands of their eventual purchasers.  And because of the aging process, the blades will be virtually rust free.

The justification for the high cost?  The scissors are indeed unique.  They're hand made with the finest of craftsmanship.  And for a traditional crafts person who uses them for a lifetime, the high cost of a single pair of these scissors offsets the cost of using lower quality pairs which will wear out and need to be replaced.  My friend's final thoughts were that "These aren't just scissors...they're heirloom pieces".  "Quite amazing" is about all I could add....