With the Swordsmith

Japan has fewer than three hundred licensed swordsmiths. To spend a morning in a working forge — watching the steel taken from the fire at the exact moment the colour tells the smith it is ready — is to witness a form of knowledge that cannot be written down. Your guide will translate in real time as the master explains the difference between folding and grinding, and why the clay applied before quenching determines the blade's unique hamon pattern.

Participants will have the opportunity to assist at the forge: pulling the bellows, steadying the tong grip, and delivering the first hammer strike on heated steel under close supervision. You will also handle historical pieces from the smith's collection and learn to read the signatures and school markings on a blade's nakago tang.

Highlights

• —Observation of an active forge session with a licensed swordsmith
• —Hands-on forge assistance: bellows, tongs, and supervised first hammer strike
• —Handling of historical blades and guided reading of nakago signatures
• —Real-time interpretation of the hamon, tamahagane, and school traditions