Wabi Sabi and its application to vintage traditional folding knives

[leghog]

Look at Gevonovich's post number #31453 (yesterday, 7 October 2013) in the What "Traditional Knife" are ya totin' today? thread (that post is below). To my mind this is two great examples of wabi sabi --- the knife itself and the composition of the photograph. Gevonovich, I hope you do not mind me reposting that here. Mods, I do this in the belief it is not against rules or protocol.

This old joy will keep me company today. Have a great sojourn in Sheffield, Jack!

 

[Jack Black]

Fascinating thread

 

[jackknife]

Wabi Sabi?

Very vintage folder made on the Moran farm in Lime Kiln Maryland, circa 1943-44, by Albert Wurtz. Rustic and simple.

 

[rune1279]

Wabi Sabi?

Very vintage folder made on the Moran farm in Lime Kiln Maryland, circa 1943-44, by Albert Wurtz. Rustic and simple.

Ha! When I made my comment about 'rustic simplicity' and 'wabi' this is exactly the knife I was thinking of.

--Mark

 

[akadave2]

While I admire the precision and execution of the cutsom knife, having had a few I find myself going back to the general production knife because of the inherent mark of human imprecision. The fact that they were made to be used and loved and not placed in a case or safe. The "organic" nature of the little flaws here and there.

 

[herisson]

I can very well run with "wabi" (because all production, and even custom knives have "imperfections") as long as essentials are covered : no wobble nowhere, all solid... you know. "Sabi" will be there from the beginning, or developping over years : I loved some "defective" knives from the beginning and some (almost) perfect blades got only some love over years. "Wabi sabi" seems to be an accurate concept for my affective relation to knives.