Before I got to Gasshō, I began my morning commuting to 菊川駅 Kikukawa station. I was on my way to visit 井上刃物 Inoue Hamono. I had some questions to ask and maybe some items to purchase. At the shop they sell Japanese woodworking tools. Their business has been around since the Meiji era. It is currently run by third and fourth generation family members 井上 時 夫 Inoue Tokio, and 井上 真 俊 Inoue Masatoshi. Some tools they sell include: 鉋 kan’na (planes); 彫刻鑿 chokoku nomi (carving chisels); 玄能 Gen’nō (hammers); 鋸 nokogiri (hand saws); and all variety of 刃物 hamono for specific use cases. They even had 尺 shaku and 寸 sun measuring squares. They also displayed a collection of cute 源氏鶴亀 墨壺 genji tsurukame sumitsubo (turtle and crane ink pots). These are used like the chalk lines that I grew up using in construction to snap lines on lumber. After running some more errands, I ended up walking to 両国駅 Ryōgoku Station. I caught the train from there all the way to Nodashi. It was...
Train smart. Live better.