Here at Takabe Jinja, Japan’s only shrine dedicated to the God of Cooking, this Knife Ceremony, or Hōchōshiki, takes place three times per year. Last May, we witnessed Chef Hakushin Nagashima prepare a sea bream while adhering to this centuries-old ritual’s golden rule: he never touches the sacred fish with his hands, not even once. Since the hands are considered impure, the chef employs carefully choreographed maneuvers as to only touch the fish with a knife and chopsticks. This ritual originat