Katana Crafting Process: 鍛え(Kitae)

A field trip to the sword's workshop in 白石市(宮城)
Sword-smith: 宮城真先生 (Miyagi Shin-Sensei)
http://www.city.shiroishi.miyagi.jp/welcome/present/004.html

鍛え(Kitae) is the most fundamental, yet the most essential step in making a fine katana.
Here, the smith will purify the steel and more importantly adjust the carbon content of the steel. The smith smelted the steel, which is originally in small pieces, at around 1300 degree C in the forge shown in the video. At 1200 degree C, all the impurities will be removed from the steel bar. At that point, normally the metal bar will be reduced to nothing but pure iron. However, in this case, carbon was introduced into the metal from the charcoal-fueled flame.

Compared to the commercial stainless-steel, which has the carbon content of 1%-1.5%, the carbon content of the katana steel commonly is kept at 0.7%, at which most swordsmiths considered as the balance point between hardness and ductility. According to the book I am reading, 0.8% carbon content is the point which the steel will stop becoming any harder but becomes most brittle. I asked Miyagi-sensei, how does he know when the carbon content reaches 0.7%? According to Miyagi-sensei, the sign to look out for would be the excited sparks. At the moment, he applied the rice-straw ashes on the bar, which acted as a protective veil from overheating and additional loss of carbon. However, at this point, the carbon content is not at 0.7% but around 1.4%-1.5%. It is the folding part, which is still a part of Kitae, that the smith removes the carbon from the steel.

Notice the bellows on the left hand side of the swordsmith. It is a special bellows used in Japan. (mostly for katana crafting, I believe) It is basically a rectangular box about 3 ft long, 12 in wide and 18-24 in high with a wooden piston in it. It is purely made of naturally found objects, such as bamboo and raccoon fur.

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• Katana
• Japanese
• Sword
• sword-crafting
• shiroishi
• Miyagi
• Kitae

[hammermantbg]

he still had so much heat why stop at a few power hammer blows .....waste of time

[Pikakeung]

@hammermantbg

He is pounding solely for the purpose of adjusting the content of Carbon in the bar. Notice those sparks flying out. Those are Carbon and unwanted slags.

[Ithinkiamemo22]

This is a beautiful art, one that seems lost in this generation of factories and mass production.

[miyagishin]

Thanks for watching me make my great katanas.