How to Read “使っている鍬は光る”
Tsukatte iru kuwa wa hikaru
Meaning of “使っている鍬は光る”
This proverb means that tools and skills used daily are polished and maintain their brilliance through continuous use.
By extension, it teaches that the same applies to human abilities and techniques. A musical instrument practiced daily produces beautiful tones, and a frequently used knife maintains its sharpness. Conversely, things left unused become rusty or dull.
Human talents and skills are the same – they improve and increase in brilliance through continuous use. No matter how excellent one’s abilities may be, they will deteriorate if not used. This proverb clearly expresses the importance of daily accumulation and continuity through the familiar example of farming tools. Even today, athletes who never miss daily practice and craftsmen who continue to hone their skills follow the same philosophy as this teaching.
Origin and Etymology
The origin of this proverb comes from actual experiences in Japan’s agricultural society. Among farming tools, the hoe was particularly important as it was used almost daily for cultivating fields.
A hoe consists of an iron blade and wooden handle, and when digging up soil or removing weeds, the blade creates friction with soil and stones. Frequently used hoes have their surfaces polished by this friction, making them shine like mirrors. Meanwhile, hoes left stored in warehouses become rusty and cloudy.
In Edo period farming villages, this phenomenon could be observed daily. The hoes of hardworking farmers always shone, while those of lazy farmers were rusty – this contrast was obvious to people’s eyes.
This proverb’s appearance in literature is relatively recent, dating from the Meiji period onward. However, the underlying philosophy is deeply connected to Japan’s culture that values hard work, and it naturally emerged and became established as an expression of “the virtue of working.” It is truly a proverb born from common people’s wisdom, expressing the value of work through the familiar tool of farming implements.
Interesting Facts
The history of hoes is ancient – they have been used in Japan since the Yayoi period. While they were originally made of wood, iron hoes became widespread from the Kofun period onward. Interestingly, hoe shapes vary greatly by region, having developed uniquely to suit each area’s soil quality and crops.
For Edo period farmers, the hoe was a precious tool that could be called a lifeline. Having a good hoe directly connected to good harvests, so farmers never neglected hoe maintenance, always removing soil and drying them after use. This careful maintenance might have been another reason why hoes shone.
Usage Examples
- His piano playing, which he practices daily, is improving steadily – just like “The hoe being used shines”
- The knife I’ve used for many years still cuts excellently, true to “The hoe being used shines”
Modern Interpretation
In modern society, this proverb’s meaning has become more multifaceted. This is because the very concept of “using” has changed in the digital age.
In the IT industry, we could rephrase this as “The technology being used shines.” Programming languages and software skills become refined through daily use, enabling one to write more efficient and beautiful code. Conversely, technology unused for several years quickly becomes outdated.
However, there are also challenges unique to modern times. In an age of information overload, so many tools and technologies exist that choosing what to “continue using” has become difficult. Additionally, with the development of AI technology, some skills may no longer need to be continuously honed by humans.
Nevertheless, the essence of this proverb remains unchanged. Even now with the spread of remote work, human-like abilities such as communication skills and creativity continue to shine through continued use. Rather, precisely because we live in an era of rapid change, the importance of continuous learning and practice has increased. The improvement in writing skills of people who continue sharing information on social media is exactly a modern version of this teaching.
When AI Hears This
When modern programmers step away from coding for three years, they struggle to keep up with new frameworks. When Edo-period farmers left their hoes unused, they rusted. These seemingly different phenomena are actually governed by the same “law of deterioration.”
What’s fascinating is how the speed of skill deterioration has accelerated. Traditional craftsmen could remember their techniques even after a decade of disuse, but in IT, just six months away leaves you behind the latest technologies. This happens because innovation cycles have shortened dramatically—we’re witnessing what could be called “digital rust.”
Even more striking is how the recovery patterns are remarkably similar. Just as a hoe regains its shine when polished, programming skills can bounce back quickly with focused practice. But just as a completely rusted hoe becomes unusable, skills abandoned for too long require enormous time investment to reacquire.
This phenomenon is particularly evident in language learning, where research shows that unused foreign language conversation skills decline by half within a year. Modern people face the importance of “continuous use” even more acutely than Edo-period farmers did. The wisdom of our ancestors, who kept their hoes gleaming through daily use, has become a more urgent survival strategy for those navigating today’s skill-based society.
Lessons for Today
What this proverb teaches modern people is that talents and abilities are meaningless if you “just possess them.” No matter how wonderful qualifications you hold or how expensive tools you have, they become wasted treasures if unused.
What matters is continuing daily, even in small ways. If you want to maintain language skills, touch a foreign language even a little each day; if you want to improve at cooking, pick up a knife even once a week – such accumulation creates brilliance.
While modern society tends to emphasize only “efficiency,” this proverb reminds us of the value of “continuity.” Experience built up steadily day by day demonstrates real power when it matters, more than crammed knowledge.
You surely have a “hoe” within you that can be made to shine. It might be work skills or hobby techniques. What matters is having the courage to continue using it.
Comments