Good luck and warding off evil — Culture of Fire Striking, Fortune Items, Japanese Souvenirs! Kabuki Theater

Yoshii Honke: "Tokugawa Ieyasu Calligraphy-Incribed Easy Fire Striker and Flint Set" in Paulownia Box, "Kiri Fire" — Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Good Luck and Warding Off Evil, Fortune Items, Kabuki Theater, Fire Striking Tools, Japanese Culture, Stones, Power Stones, Fire Striker Gold, Fire Striker Kama, Made in Japan

Three-leaf Hollyhock, Tokugawa Ieyasu, with inscription

After healing battle wounds at a house with wisteria family crest, an elderly woman said:
"Please live proudly in any situation."
"Good luck in your martial endeavors!"

External dimensions: Width 4.5 cm × Depth 1 cm × Height 7.5 cm
Material: Steel with wooden board attached
Initially coated with black protective paint, but once the paint wears off, sparks can be easily produced.

The Easy Fire Striker is designed to produce good sparks with a light strike.

Includes:
- 1 piece
- Flint: Onyx (agate), approximately 3 cm to 5 cm in size (note: hand-cut, so sizes are approximate)
- 1 piece

*The stand is sold separately.*

**Safety Precautions:**
- Please wear glasses, gloves, long sleeves, and long pants for protection during use.
- Suitable for persons aged 18 and over.

The fire striking tools frequently used in Kabuki theater are a part of Japanese culture.

They are part of traditional Japanese rituals to ward off evil and purify.

As a sacred implement, flint stones were used in shrines during divine ceremonies to produce fire with a fire striker, creating "Kiri Fire" (purified fire). Over time, this process was simplified by striking a fire striker against a fire steel, igniting fire on people or objects to purify them.

Today, striking fire stones are widely used by those in the entertainment, arts, and performance industries, as well as by people involved in competitive activities, dangerous jobs, or merchants wishing for prosperity, as a way to pray for safety and success.

**How to Use the Easy Fire Striker:**
When striking fire on people or objects as a sacred ritual, hold the fire stone in your right hand and the fire steel in your left hand.
Gently and vigorously strike the edge of the fire steel with the corner of the fire stone, sliding it to produce sparks.

*Note:*
- If the corner of the fire stone becomes rounded, sparks will no longer fly.
- In that case, carefully shave the corner to restore it.
- Be sure to avoid getting stone fragments into your eyes.
- Do not strike the fire stone directly against the steel; instead, rub it like a match to produce sparks with less force, which also prevents damage to the tools.

**For authentic fire steel use:**
*Method for producing fire ("Kiri Fire")* (Quoted from Yoshii Honke HP: https://yosiihonke-hiuchi.jimdo.com/)

1. Hold the fire steel firmly and nearly horizontally in your left hand.
2. Select the serrated edge of the fire stone and strike it strongly against the edge of the fire steel, sliding to shave off a thin layer.
3. Sparks will fly toward the target to be purified.
4. Usually, 2-3 strikes are enough to ward off evil spirits.

While slightly more difficult than igniting with a fire starter, once you get used to it, it becomes simple.

*Note:*
- If you are right-handed, hold the tools in the opposite manner.

**Igniting with the Fire Stone:**
Hold the fire stone in your left hand and strike it with the fire steel (metal part) in your right hand with a quick, decisive "clack."
The key to producing sparks is to strike the serrated part of the fire stone against the edge of the fire steel with a bit of force, creating a "clack" sound.

Simply hitting the fire stone against the steel will only chip the stone without producing sparks.
*Note:*
- If you are left-handed, hold the tools in the opposite manner.

1. Place a small piece of sulfur-impregnated cotton (Hokuchi) on the fire stone to ignite.
2. The sparks from the "clack" will land on the cotton and ignite it.
3. The cotton will smolder and spread.

For beginners, place a slightly larger amount of dry Hokuchi about 2-3 mm away from the edge of the fire stone, and hold it down lightly with your thumb to prevent movement.
Once sparks are produced and the cotton ignites, gently blow on it to strengthen the fire.

**To strengthen the fire:**
- When the cotton begins to smolder, press the sulfur part of a matchstick against it and blow to transfer heat and intensify the fire.
- If the sulfur ignites, your ignition is successful.

**Warning:**
When sulfur ignites, a strong gas is released briefly. Do not bring your face close to the sulfur during ignition!

This method can be used to ignite candles, stoves, firewood, or campfires.

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