I have a KNIFE! (Electra, nooo!)

There are many things ya'll don't know about us. Or me. One of them is that I am super interested in metalworking, which I did a little of in university until I realized that art students are basically animals in paint-stained clothing and use arc welders without protection or warning anybody. 

So many close calls. 

So when I came to Japan, I obviously wanted to try my hand at one of the major, nearly-lost Japanese arts. Sword making!

Last weekend, I took a class of sorts in Bizen- famous for Osafune katana. Osafune's claim to fame is that after the edict for samurai to lay down their swords, and after World War II basically destroyed any Japanese interest in weaponry, the dude there just... kept making them. 

Due to those policies, so much experience and knowledge in swordsmithing were lost. There are katana blade techniques, as well as techniques for tsuba (hand guards) and other parts that we just don't know how to do anymore. But in Osafune/Bizen, they tried their best to keep the art alive. 

The area is also famous for the quality of its blades. About fifty percent of the katana that have been designated as national treasures of Japan came from the forges in Bizen. The museum and forges that remain are well worth visiting. 

People now can come and either watch smiths work, or take classes on making what is basically a paperknife. It's not the whole experience, but I thought it was a good start for me , being that my Japanese is only suitable for basic conversations and I might need to dip my feet into the terminology before phrases like "get out of the way, I'm pouring hot metal" became relevant to my life. 

I took the class that involved more actual work and not just the sharpening aspect, as I wanted to learn what I was looking for in the form and balance, even in smaller knives. 

We paid 15000yen, or about.... 125USD, for materials. Materials amounted to a stick of already folded iron, basically a long, flat nail. 

So we filed the ever-loving shit out of it, per the forgemaster's directions. a line is first made on the top of the blade. All lines have to be perfect, or the balance/strength will be off. 

Then a short diagonal file along the right side denotes the side that will be sharpened. 

(I have pictures, and will someday have to figure out how to put them in what I'm writing?????? Patreon wants to make them attachments, my apologies).

No mistaking, this is WORK. You use your whole body to file, and you have to be careful that the amount of pressure is consistent, or you end up with wonky lines and a crappy-looking knife. Sadness. 

After a few hours of work, we have our first image. (I'll do back and get more pictures, for more visual components from beginning to end)

You can see how the end of the blade is even, and it's flat throughout, all the way into the part that inserts into a handle. 

The forgemaster then took the knife back into the forge, hammering out more of the distinctive shape we associate with Japanese knives. 

Then you file according to a style guide- the side to be sharpened requires gleaming abrasions in a vertical fashion, whereas the rest of the final filing has to be diagonal. It took hours with an iron file to achieve the shine, evening out the blade and eliminating the imperfections from the forge. 

The last part I reached that day (in a class that went from 10 am to 4 pm), was carving a name into the blade. 

Typically, the artisan writes their name. What surprised me is that the technique is still the same as it always was- you literally use a hammer and chisel. So when you see beautiful curved, clean lines on a katana, please know they used a HAMMER and CHISEL. It's hard! So hard. 

Also, I'm not an artisan, and owning a knife that has my name on it (esp in katana, which I loathe) made me feel like MoonMoon. "Hello, I am Electra. This is my knife, Electra. Electra's knife, Electra. You can know my name when you see me opening my mail, which doubtless also has my name, which is Electra, on it. V  useful. Electra."

The whole point of it is to denote who made the damn thing, because owning a sword made by an artisan is hella cool and raises its value, culturally and monetarily. 

So I named it, instead, using the ancient kanji reading of "shinzui", or "soul", instead. 

I just think the kanji is pretty, and it's the one my monk makes me practice at shodo.  Of course, I showed it to him literally the next day for my Good Dog Points.

Next time, I'll get to buff out the imperfections, sharpen it to a terrifying point, and put it in a handle and sheath. 

(After that, we will go to Kyoto, to make a short katana. I'm very excited.)

Peace, love, and paper knives, 

Electra