Do you know what is a Schuhanzieher?
On our trip to Japan we noticed this big stick which was curved at the end near our door! Then again I guess this was available in many hotels all over the world but since the hotels in Japan are relatively smaller and compact we tend to notice these things!
Those are the Schuhanziehers!
Now now! Do not worry! The spelling may be complicated since the name is from German but it simply means a SHOEHORN!
Then again a shoe horn is not a HORN for the shoe!
It is a nifty tool which I have started using more after our Japan trip! It actually protects the back part of the shoe and makes it easier to get into one!
The shoe horn has been used for centuries to protect footwear and ease the process of putting on tight shoes!
The shoe horn apparently emerged in late medieval or Renaissance Europe, around the 15th or 16th century!
Interestingly the earliest versions were crafted from actual animal horns, such as cattle, oxen, or buffalo!
Then again like most common things of the present age; when it was INVENTED, it was a luxury item for the wealthy! They were used to slide into stiff, bespoke leather boots and tightly fitted dress shoes.
Queen Elizabeth I of England is documented buying multiple shoe horns from her court cordwainer (shoemaker) in the late 1500s!
Beyond real horn, early luxury versions were carved from expensive materials like ivory, bone, tortoiseshell, or mother-of-pearl! This was the time when even some limited edition shoes were so expensive which means that getting into them was a luxury!
In fact high-end shoe horns were heavily decorated, featuring ornate carvings, silver handles, and family crests!
Then came the Industrial Revolution and manufacturers began stamping shoe horns out of metals like steel, iron, and brass, making them affordable for the working class!
Now of course the two common materials use are plastic and the wood!
The introduction of molded plastics allowed mass production, turning the tool into a cheap, everyday household or hotel staple!
Finally the Schuhanzieher or “Schuhhorn” Mystery!
In many Germanic languages, the tool is called a Schuhanzieher (shoe puller-on). However, the English language retained the word “horn” due to the original animal-based material, much like a drinking horn or powder horn!
If you do not tie your laces or have slip ons; then you must definitely use these Shoe horns!
Then again I was wondering what it was doing in Japan where people actually BEND and BOW so routinely!
But since it was seen in hotels, may be it is specifically for the visitors who have difficulty in bending or bowing! At least in the beginning!
Then again most of Vishal’s movies are also like that; may be a little slow in the start and then becomes interesting!
Now remove your night shoes without using a Schuhanzieher and sleep!
Shub ratri…
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