The blade passes through the hands of many skilled artisans, including a qualified Japanese polisher who will sharpen and reveal the fine details of the blade. Carvings can also be created, and the weapon is inspected by the blacksmith. Depending on the type of katana, grooves or fullers can be added for aesthetic purposes or to lighten the weight. The katana blade now needs final polishing and sharpening. Step 12: Final Touches and Fittings Tamahagane steel Japanese katana sword from Kyoto – Credits: Maikoya A gas torch can also be used for further readjustment, and the blade is quenched until it reaches the ideal curve. Step 10: Heat Treatment and CurvatureĬorrection of the katana curve using a hot copper block – Credits: Japanese Sword, Michael MorimotoĬurve adjustment begins with placing the blade on a hot copper block and hammering out any irregularities. The pattern that appears on the blade is called the hamonand can have many different shapes. The blade is heated to 750 to 850 degrees and then rapidly cooled in a cold water tank. Step 9: Applying Clay Adding the clay mixture on the blade of a katana prior to heating it – Credits: Process XĪfter the blade profile has been created, an insulating layer consisting of riverbed clay, charcoal, and pulverized sandstone is added to the blade’s body, except for the edge. With the exception of the edge, the katana will now have a well-defined surface. The lengthy process of grinding the blade shape evens any irregularities that may have formed using a rough stone over the entire thing. Step 8: Grinding and Filing The removal of irregularities from the surface of the blank metal – Credits: Japanese Sword, Michael Morimoto The curvature in this process is often adjusted correctly. This delicate process is done with a small hammer and a sledgehammer. The blank blade is hammered at between 7 degrees throughout most of it. The blade shaping process gives the blade its final shape of a true katana sword. The rough katana blade after the shaping – Credits: The Art of the Japanese Sword The blade tang is also created using a hammer to uniform the blank blade in thickness from the front of the blade and tang to the tip. The sunobe (blade blank) is created when blank steel is drawn out by a series of heating and hammering that will give the blade its final shape. Step 6: Making the Blank The process in which the bar is turned into a sunobe and then a final Katana blade shape – Credits: Old Pueblo Forge While challenging, both methods are crucial in the creation of a katana. These two semi-joined metals are reinserted inside the forge at 1300 degrees, removed, and hammered again until the outer layer completely enshrouds the inner.Ī second method to make the steel jacket includes two to four pieces of hard, high-carbon steel surrounding the inner core, with a harder steel part at the edge. The plate previously created is bent in a U-shape and pounded while the inner layer is inserted inside its base. The inner and outer layers are fused through a process known as tsukurikomi. Placing the low carbon shingane into the high carbon kawagane – Credits: The Art of the Japanese Sword It is then removed and hammered into a single bar. A handle is made to hold a long steel plate with stacked tamahagane plates covered with clay and ash to form a 3 x 5 block and is then heated to 1300 degrees while rolled in rice paper. The forging process of tamahagane steel begins by breaking it into one-quarter-inch pieces to create the inner and outer layers of steel. Blade refining is used to adjust the carbon by allowing volumetric airflow through the furnace and lowering the carbon in carbon dioxide. The steel is flattened, hardened, broken into pieces, and sorted by quality and carbon content. Step 2: Forming the Bar A blacksmith and his assistants leading the tempo- Credits: Process X Many companies outside of Japan produce close-quality replicas using other types of steel such as stainless steel, carbon steel, and more. Tamahagane is the primary choice for crafting traditional, authentic katanas in Japan. With this preparation process, the steel is refined, and all impurities are removed. This steel is made in a furnace with charcoal over three days, reaching temperatures of up to 1500 degrees. Tamahagane steel, the most historically accurate, is a form of steel created by iron dust collected from inside the Japanese Archipelago. Pure electrolytic iron, oxygen-free iron, and tamahagane steel are used. The first step in creating a traditional Japanese katana is the selection of high-quality materials. Japanese tamahagane steel from which a Katana is made – Credits: Japanese Sword, Michael Morimoto
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