Japan's most famous Katana forging artisan Kobayashi filmed by ADEYTO

ADEYTO travels to Shimane prefecture in the search for Japan's most famous Katana forging master. Here, Kobayashi and his trainees present the ART of KATANA forging, as done for hundreds & hundreds of years in Japan.

The first Japanese sword is said to have been the Kusanagi-no-tsurugi, which came out of the great serpent Orochi’s tail when he was slain by the deity Susanoo. As time has passed, the Japanese sword has undergone some changes in the shape and composition of its metal blade. It is arch-shaped, and its main characteristic is that it “won’t break, won’t bend, cuts well”.
Iron making the curve of the blade is naturally made when the hot metal is put into cold water. A Katana can only be made with the tamahagane produced iron, so it is very convenient to have a blacksmith and an iron-making workshop close to each other. We met the local sword smiths, the Kobayashi brothers, in Okuizumo at the “Tatara and Japanese Sword Museum” to see the process of forging swords and learn more about the modern katana business.
The Kobayashi family is well known in Shimane Prefecture, with a history that dates back to the Edo Period (1603-1868). In total, there are three main families famous for producing swords in Shimane. They cherish the old traditions and are proud of not changing the essence of sword forging. Mr. Rikio Kobayashi laughed that the only difference between the Middle Ages and now is that now we are blessed with electricity. It is hard to fully comprehend the backbreaking labor of a black smith until you try to pick up the hammer yourself.
By pulling the incandescent chunk of iron out of the 1400 degree Celsius forges’ flame and pouring some cold dirt on it to create a coating, you make the metal melt faster.
Then pushing the chisel in the middle to fold it and hammer it twelve to fifteen times to stretch and insert it back into the forge. Then, repeat the process many times. At most, twenty-four Japanese swords are produced here each year, or two per month, with an average cost of one million Japanese Yen each. The sword smiths only start to produce a katana after an order is placed, so while it might be unusual, but it is not a case of dropping into the store nearby and choosing any sword you like. Each customer must have the patience to wait for around one year for their sword to be completed.