the secret world of the japanese swordsmith

Though only a small amount of metal, it is a weapon of great strength and elegance. Nor is it just a weapon. It is an instrument of which beauty is demanded. Within its calm serenity lurks a deep sadness, hidden by a mystical brilliance. Once born, each Japanese sword possesses a destiny. It must not break or bend. It must cut like a knife through butter. When samurai warriors donned their swords, they required them to look exquisite. A sword not only had the utility of a weapon, but also made a fine possession. The pursuit of these twin virtues gives the Japanese sword a unique and illustrious history. A samurai staked his life on his sword. From its origins over a thousand years ago to the present day, the Japanese sword is steeped in tradition. Down the ages, it has become the object of devoted study by me. Oh! Show more

Yoshindo Yoshihara, Swordsmith, 54. Although there are many swordsmiths in Japan, Yoshindo is one of the few whose unique skills have gained him a following even overseas. He devotes himself to creating only the most beautiful swords. We will be seeing just how he goes about making a single sword. We will also learn just what the secrets are behind a sword that is strong and yet so pleasing to the eye. Yoshindo has never before revealed the secrets of his craft to the lemon. Today, we will be allowed a glimpse into this mysterious art. The art of Japanese swordmaking reached its pinnacle at the beginning of the 13th century during the Kamakura period. Modern swordsmiths aimed to emulate the incredibly high standards of those times. The secret of a Japanese sword's strength lies in its dual composition. Show more

It consists of a softer, more flexible core steel known as shingane, swath in a hard outer steel jacket known as kawagane. This makes the sword superbly strong, difficult to break and gives it an excellent cutting edge. Show more

The other key characteristic of Japanese swords is the use of a raw material known as tamahagane. This special kind of Japanese steel is made by heating satetsu, or iron sand, over charcoal at comparatively low temperatures, resulting in a steel that is low in impurities. Elsewhere in the world, steel from blast furnaces is used. In Japan, rather than using cokes, the smelting of tamahagane is done using charcoal throughout. The swordsmith has to distinguish between the different pieces of steel and pick out carefully those best suited to making a sword. This is the smithy where swords are created. The setup is very simple. To the left of the forge is a piston operated bellows. This pumps air into the forge to allow the temperature to be adjusted. These are the tools needed in making a sword. There are tools for grasping the steel and others for hammering it. A special kind of pine charcoal, known as Matsuzumi, is used as a fuel for the forge because of its ability to produce a lot of heat. Yoshindo performs a traditional fire lighting ceremony typical of a swordsmith. First, he hammers a plain iron rod down to a sharp point. When the tip of the rod is struck hard and fast, the point absorbs enough heat to be able to light a piece of paper. This kind of hammering technique is the starting point for Japanese sword making. Using this flame, he lights the forge. Charcoal is used to make a fire. The fire is used to make a fire. The fire is used to make a fire to fire the steel. The steel is used to make a fire. The steel is used to make a fire. Charcoal is added, and the forge soon begins to produce heat. Yoshindo places the Tamahagane in the forge, the first step of making the Kawagane steel jacket. Working the bellows, the smith pumps blasts of air into the forge. Adjusting the heat, he smelts the Tamahagane. A single Japanese sword typically weighs between 750 and 950 grams. During the sword making process, most of the raw material is removed as impurities. Therefore, around three or four times this quantity of Tamahagane is used to make a katana. When the piece of Tamahagane has become red hot, Yoshindo pulls it out of the forge and holds it on the anvil while his disciples hammer it flat using 10 kilo hammers. The hammering is repeated several times. With Yoshindo tapping out directions, the Tamahagane is quickly made flat. During this process, the impurities within the steel rise to the surface and can be hammered out. Once the steel is about the same thickness as a cracker, the process of hammering is completed. The metal is then removed from the forge and then removed. The steel will be removed from the forge and then removed. The steel is then removed from the forge and then removed. Once the steel is about the same thickness as a cracker, the process known as Mizuuchi is performed. Water is sprinkled underneath the steel wafer, and it is hammered once more. The combined effect of the steam and the shock induced by hammering causes the surface to peel off, impurities disappear. This part of the operation, known as stagoshirai, or foundation forging in Japanese, is critical for removing as many of the impurities as possible before proceeding to the next stage. When the steel is quenched in water, cooling it down quickly, it is made harder. The wafers of hardened tamahagane are broken into smaller pieces. At this stage, the carbon content of the steel is still too high. Although hard, the steel in its current state would make a sword weak and extremely brittle. Show more

Yoshindo must once again select which of the small thin broken up wafers of tamahagane are best suited to make the sword. This is the reason why the cross section of the wafers is not broken. This is the reason why the cross section of the wafers is not broken. This is the only difference. This is the only difference. Yoshindo makes a steel plate welded to a long handle out of tamahagane steel. Yoshindo makes a steel plate welded to a long handle out of tamahagane steel. Together these are known as the tekogane. All the operations are performed with barely a word spoken. The commands of the swordsmith's hammer is all that is required. The hammer is all that is required. The hammer is all that is required. The hammer is all that is required. The hammer is all that is required. The hammer is all that is required. The hammer is all that is required. In due course, the tekogane plate will itself become part of the sword. On top of it, Yoshindo stacks a pile of the selected tamahagane wafers, leaving no gaps in between the separate pieces. To make a sword strong and flexible, the steel must be completely uniform throughout the length of the blade. To achieve this, many layers are squeezed together in the forging process. Burning rice straw is another vital part of the whole operation. The black rice straw ashes, known as warabi, are wrapped around the steel during forging to prevent overheating, which would result in too great a loss of carbon. This makes them one of the secrets of sword creation. The steel wafers are skillfully arranged on top of the tekogane plate to make a block of steel. To prevent the wafers from spilling over, collapsing, or falling off, the smith carefully wraps the block with wetted Japanese paper. The black warabi ashes are coated onto the paper-wrapped bundle. This helps compensate for the loss of carbon that occurs with heating. Yoshindo now pours a clay and water mixture over the block. The clay and ash wrapping ensures that heat passes evenly through the block to its core. As the temperature of the block mostly rises from the inside out, this prevents carbon loss happening on the surface only. Show more

The result is a steel block which is uniform. The use of straw and the clay slurry is typically Japanese. The next step in the process is known as tsumi-wakashi in Japanese, which literally means piling up and boiling. Show more

Yoshindo places the steel block in the forge and heats it slowly, adjusting the air with the bellows. Since different temperatures act on various materials to produce different kinds of swords, the process demands a combination of intuition and experience. Peeping into the forge, he can see that the surface paper and ash wrappings have already melted. He does not want to melt the entire block of steel away. Sensing when the inside of the tamahagane block is almost boiling demands a high degree of skill. Show more

He can see that the surface paper and ash wrappings have already melted. He can see that the surface paper and ash wrappings have already melted. He can see that the surface paper and ash wrappings have already melted. He can see that the surface paper and ash wrappings have already melted. He can see that the surface paper and ash wrappings have already melted. Show more

He can see that the surface paper and ash wrappings have already melted. He can see that the surface paper and ash wrappings have already melted. Since they are participant of sowing scale之やって, it needs some professionals to measure the messy blocks in the forge. And he needs various sectors in the forge, Once the layers of tamahagane have been compacted, the block is re-wrapped and placed in the oven for 30 minutes. Once the layers of tamahagane have been compacted, the block is rewrapped and placed in the oven for 30 minutes. The rhythm of Yoshindo's small hammer tells his disciples wielding the large hammers how hard and fast they should hit the steel. In the next stage, a cut is chiseled into the block and the steel is folded back over itself, resulting in a new piece dumbled the original thickness. This process is known as orikaishi, or folding back in Japanese. Each time this is repeated, more impurities within the tamahagane, principally titanium, phosphorus and sulfur, are peeled or scraped off or scattered by the hammer blow. Each repeat also reduces the carbon content of fraction. To reach the correct level, the process needs to be repeated around a dozen times. The orikaishi continues and each time the new block is wrapped in ashes and coated in the clay slurry. The block is stretched by hammering to double its original length before folding. The first cut was made crosswise. The next cut is made lengthwise. Cutting this way in a cross formation is a matter of careful calculation. What is the purpose of it? Experimenting with this clay model illustrates the principles involved here. The flattened wafers of tamahagane all differ in their precise carbon content. Thus, when stacked, heated and then hammered, the parts meld and the hole gains even greater strength. Hundreds and thousands of thin steel layers pile up on top of one another and become enmeshed, creating a dense structure. With every repeat of orikaishi, the number of layers doubles. After the tenth time, the steel consists of 1,024 layers or more. After polishing of the final blade, these different layers show up in an exquisite surface pattern known as the sword's jihada. Show more

In the folding lies the secret to the sword's combination of strength and beauty. The swordsmith's individuality is strongly reflected in the interplay of colors and textures in the final sword. The jihada, in particular, is an important way of differentiating between the work of different craftsmen. The stage is now set for the smith to sever the steel from its tekogane handle. The hard, toughened steel is bent into a u-shape, which becomes the sword's outer casing or jacket, the kawagane. Formed by a similar process, the slightly softer shingane forms the core of the sword and is inserted inside the jacket. Hardened steel is used for the cutting edge. The more flexible inside of the sword absorbs the shock of an attacking stroke. This use of harder and softer steels in Japanese swords distinguishes them from swords made elsewhere, which are made of a uniform steel throughout. The key point here is that the swordsmith assembles the different forged kawagane and shingane layers of the sword so that the grains of each run at right angles to one another. Show more

The precise way the kawagane and shingane combine leads to a myriad of different possibilities, producing swords of varying strength and movement. The beauty of the jihada truly reflects the skill of its creator. The initial forging is now complete. Yoshindo now moves on to shape the sword to his liking. The composite steel blank used as the basis of the sword, incorporating both the kawagane jacket and the shingane core, is known as the sunobe in Japanese. Yoshindo puts the combined bar into the forge, taking care not to heat it too much. He then hammers it into the rough shape of a sword, lengthening it as he goes. He has to be careful not to destroy the balance between the jacket and the core steels. By separating the sunobe from the tekogane rod, he creates the piece that will become the final sword. By this stage, practically all of the impurities have been beaten out of the tamahagane, leaving only about a third of the weight of the original material. Here Yoshindo forms the tip of the blade. Show more

The process of shaping the blade out of the sunobe and giving it curvature is known in Japanese as hizukuri. His disciples' assistance is necessary up until the formation of the sunobe, but hizukuri is the job of the swordsman alone. He proceeds with a conceived shape in mind. This part of the process brings all his senses and technique to the fore. Show more

It is crucial at this stage to minimize the number of times the blade is heated up. Yoshindo must move with lightning speed to prevent any more carbon leaching out of the blade. Conserving the steel is a vital skill. The smith must prevent the sword from cooling or impurities from adulterating the sword. Producing an attractive jihada on a blade surface is a sign of fine cracks. Show more

The actual curvature of the sword is not manifest until later when the edge of the blade is hardened. This makes it very difficult to imagine exactly how curved it will turn out to be. The swordsmith must use his experience to determine his sword's final shape and thus its elegance. Show more

Once hizukuri is complete, you can begin to imagine the blade in all its final splendor. The shape of Japanese swords changed over the ages as methods of waging battle changed. These different styles and methods of use have all added to the complexity of the Japanese sword-making craft. It is important to note that the blade is a very important part of the Japanese sword-making craft. It is important to note that the blade is a very important part of the Japanese sword-making craft. Show more

Having used his hammer to shape the blade, Yoshindo now begins the finishing process. First he does a rough filing. This determines the blade's frame. The blade is a very important part of the Japanese sword-making craft. The blade is a very important part of the Japanese sword-making craft. This part of the process is finished with a white stone. All surface oil is removed using an ash water solution and the blade is then dried thoroughly. The smith now turns his attention to the single most important part of the blade, the hamon. This is the pattern created along the blade in its final quenching. Yoshindo's own particular specialty is a type of hamon called ochoji, or big clove blossom. A derivative of the clove blossom patterning developed to perfection in the kamakura period, this type of hamon is considered one of the most beautiful. To make a hamon with this wonderfully variable pattern, a special clay is used. The adhesive clay is made out of a mixture of charcoal, pulverized wet stone, and other ingredients. The exact proportions are the smith's own personal secret. Having carefully prepared the mixture, Yoshindo applies it to the roughly ground sword with equal delicacy. The clay is painted onto the blade in a thin layer. Once it is dry, it will be fired. The precise details of this process of making the hamon, called tsuchiyuki, or placing the clay in Japanese, have been a closely guarded secret of Japanese sword smiths since time immemorial. Yoshindo now uses a thicker clay mixture to coat the remainder of the sword. This coating is to ensure that the blade does not heat up too much and over harden. Yoshindo now uses a thicker clay mixture to coat the rest of the sword. Show more

It is this process that brings out the hamon. Yoshindo makes his signature clove blossom pattern using a fine spatula to place the clay on the blade. A complex pattern of straight lines, crosses, and points will result in the wondrous clove blossom, or chochi hamon. Show more

The tsuchiyuki process for the clove blossom hamon is now complete. Exactly how the hamon is created is still something of a mystery, however. This is a pattern for a relatively straight hamon, called suguha in Japanese. Show more

This hamon is known as the notare pattern, and is famously attributed to the master sword smith, kanemitsu bisen. Its slightly irregular patterning gives it a peculiar beauty all of its own. If you just want to pursue the hamon, you can do it with a simple straight hamon. Show more

You can be satisfied with that, but you can pursue the beauty that came out of the hamon. You can do it with the choujimidare, or you can do it with the choujimidare, or you can do it with the choujimidare. Finally, we come to the yakiide process of hardening the edge. This is where the sword's underlying elegance is brought out in an instant. Small pieces of matsuzumi charcoal are used to ensure the clay coating does not peel off. Yoshindo takes great care to ensure the heat of the forge is as even as possible. Because he must be able to distinguish very subtle changes in the color of the hot sword, Yoshindo is able to distinguish the two. Yoshindo is able to distinguish the two. Yoshindo is able to distinguish the two, and this is when he is able to distinguish the two. He must be able to distinguish very subtle changes in the color of the hot sword. Yoshindo performs yakiide in pitch blackness. Carefully passing the sword through the forge with one hand, he pumps air into the forge. Each push of the piston changes the forge temperature, and this has to be judged by the color of the sword. Maintaining the temperature between 725 and 780 degrees Celsius, Yoshindo ensures that the sword is heated evenly all around. Then he quenches the sword suddenly in a trough of water. This dramatic cooling, owing to the peculiar properties of steel, produces a different crystalline microstructure at the edge of the blade, called martensite, which is particularly hard. Yoshindo lightly passes the blade through the forge a second time. Next he tempers it by quenching again. This relieves stress in the hardened edge, and ensures the entire blade remains flexible and strong. After yakiide, the curvature of the sword has increased slightly. After further treatment to clean off the clay, we reach the crucial moment when the Hamon is revealed. The clove blossom line should be very clearly visible on the blade. At this point, Yoshindo can tell whether yakiide has been a success or not. Show more

The thickness of the clove blossom line is about 70%. The thickness of the clove blossom line is about 70% compared to the thickness of the clove blossom line. The clove blossom line is the most beautiful shape of the clove blossom line. The blade's tang, called nakago in Japanese, is the part of the sword where the swordsmith carves out his signature marks. The nekugiana, or rivet hole, is drilled into the tang for the rivet that will secure the blade to the hilt of the scabbard. This helps improve the sword's balance. The job of the polisher is to bring out the smith's intended Hamon and make the jihada look as good as possible. He helps to breathe life into the sword and bring it to its final state of sparkling brilliance. The swordsmith's name, the date of creation, and the name of the person who ordered the sword. The Japanese sword can be thought of having arisen out of the natural desire of every warrior to wield a marvelous weapon in battle. The cherry blossoms enshroud the seated samurai. The grace with which they fall mirrors the warrior spirit. Show more

Since ancient times, the Japanese have revered both the samurai and the cherry blossoms as the ultimate in grace and refinement. Today, the Japanese sword is also held up as an example of exquisite artistry and craftsmanship. In ancient times, we know that it was used as a potent weapon. Here, mimicking the samurai of old preparing themselves for a battle, the warrior roughens the edge of the blade slightly on a whetstone. This gives the sword an added sharpness. Swordmaking requires daring and delicacy. The crafted sword concentrates in its fine lines the knowledge of the ages mixed with a sense of omnipotence. As he polishes the blade, the polisher is aware that he is in fact wearing away the life of the katana in his hands. In the act of creation, he is locked in a battle with his fellow artisans, engaging in the swordplay of the smith. It is not enough merely to cherish the beauty of a Japanese sword. It is a weapon in which one entrusts one's life. It is naturally drawn to the battlefield. Once there, the warrior must wield it resolutely to kill if necessary. If he falls, he falls gracefully. It is perhaps impossible to touch the real secret beauty of a Japanese sword until one comprehends the spirit of the samurai and the solemn Bushido oath he bears in his heart. Show more

It is not enough merely to cherish the real secret beauty of a Japanese sword until one comprehends the spirit of the samurai and the solemn Bushido oath he bears in his heart. It is not enough merely to cherish the spirit of the samurai and the solemn Bushido oath he bears in his heart. Thank you for watching! Show more