Japanese culture always had connection with Katana
Back then If you were a child, you would have a coming of age ceremony to be given katana at 15
Beautiful coal
no gloves?
Oh I thought you were giving me high five
What are you going to do now?
Basically to weld the iron, we have to knead the iron
to make it usable to make Katana
And after that?
Are you going to strike the iron again?
You strike it first, and bring it back
and put it in again
What is the process now?
Try not to burn it so much. If it melts, it's over
Just when it's about to melt, send in the wind
That's the process now
Can you tell when to take it out by looking at the color of the flame?
Color and sound -Sound?
and the shapes of the flames
Aim for the middle
You don't have to do this much,
I don't want to mess this up
You can't finish until I say so
How long has it taken to get where you are?
Preparing coals 3 years, big maul assistant 5 years
Finding the right heat, forever is what they say
but 5 years and you become useful
There seems to be many types of swords there,
so could you tell us more?
Generally speaking, the blade length of up to 30cm is the short sword
Is this the date? -Yes, the date
This is a really cute short sword
You can see it clearly when the light is upon it
Longer than 30cm and under 60cm is the Wakizashi
Longer than 60cm is the Tachi
What is that?
This is called the Uchiko
This is like the carving stone's minature version
You take away the excessive oil on it
The titles are here
My thoughts are written here with the Chinese characters
The shape
And looking at the curve. This one has a quite a huge curve from the middle
The surface of the iron can be seen after it has been struck multiple times
Looking at how the iron is done is another way to enjoy it
You can see the design on the surface when you shed light on it
You can see clearly how the lines come in
Seeing the design is another way to enjoy Katana
When you shed light, -I can see it
Quite strong -Turn it around
It's quite different
It's quite a heavy responsibility
I think it was sharpened by Mr. Manatsu
Do you put in designs here?
Depending on the sword, we would add design or carvings
This was 2007, when I just started
It's like a shorter version of Kodachi. This is the long one
This is the shortened one
This is quite unique. A design of the clan?
This was to show the surface of the iron so you can see the rugged design on the sword
So in general, how heavy is the Katana?
Around 1kg
I thought it was heavier
Well, 2kg is too heavy to carry
What about that long one? -That may be around 2kg
Maybe that one is around 1.8kg
You need muscles
When you shed light on it, well normally they say the wave design is the part it turns white
but the wave design on the Katana is when you shed light, it comes out
The white part is what the katana polisher adds on like a makeup
It's like an eyeshadow. Whether you make the white area to be wide or narrow
The thickness will change the look. It's a design
To align that is the job of the polisher
For us, the part which comes out is the original wave design
Shedding light means looking at the bare face of a women without makeup. Looking at the katana's bare face
What is so special about being a sword-smith?
As a sword-smith, putting my passion on to the sword is what makes it special
A type of expression
What are things you consider when you make a sword?
Basically it is a job not to give in
Well, it's craftsmanship so passion makes what it makes. So I guess the passion is important
Do you get injured?
When you start out, you get burns and a lot of blisters
And you don't know when the master will tell you to stop
so you have to continue until they say so?
Interaction with the customer is important? -Yes
Having conversation with the customer is ideal to making what they want to make
Since I want to make with passion, I want it to be a sword which will be loved and used by the owner for many years
To think that way and creating the sword is what I believe and is how I make the sword
The person who orders the sword may have different feelings
and through conversation, do those feelings match with yours?
It is necessary for the feelings to match
And ofcourse the Japanese culture has always continued on with Katana
When you are born, you receive the sword as protection
When you turn 15 or become an adult, you receive a sword as to have responsibility to own a weapon
For women, they were given Katana as a protection
When you die, you place a sword to ward off evil
We have that culture
Katana appears many times in old proverbs as something which comes with our lives
That is why I have my own responsibility of creating a sword and that's what I do
They are made to last for a lifetime so
I want them be treated with respect
Not just the person, but when they are passed to the next generation, I'd be happy as well
I hope I can create a sword like that
Last question is, what is your philosophy?
Philosophy is such a hard word so if I would put into a few words,
but not to give in, and to create by what I believe in is what I can say
Thank you very much