Thread: Making of a nihonto

I've seen many videos about the making of traditional Japanese swords, and this is the best one so far.
Well worth the time watching.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxwWf-MfZVk

amazing
Thanks for sharing

How long does the process take?

That depends on whether the smith uses a modern power hammer or a medieval power hammer (aka 2 apprentices with sledge hammers). I have read in several places that the forging proces, starting from scratch, takes several weeks when done the old fashioned way. With a modern power hammer it can go faster. However, I am not really qualified to comment on the matter, not having ever done this myself.

That said, a smith in Japan is legally not permitted to make more than 2 daito (long swords) per month. It's a standard that is born out of some sort of misguided attempt at quality control, and not up to date with modern power hammer technology which is also used by many smiths. The Japanese sword industry in Japan is being strangled by the Japanese government, who forbid smiths to a) produce more than 2 swords per month, and b) produce any swords at all that are not traditionally made.

If you want to know why there are no affordable Japanese katana, it's because the government does not allow smiths to forge budget katana from monosteel stock. That means starting off with tamahagane nuggets, folding, etc. Note that many smiths would want to do this, simply because in the modern MA world, noone in his right mind would pay 2500$ for a traditionally made sword for his first attempts at tameshigiri (cutting practice). As a result, many sword smiths go out of business now that the Japanese economy is down and the nihonot market has crashed. It's not unheard of for smith to close up shop or even commit suicide. And many sword smiths hop over the chinese border each month to make swords (both modern and traditional) for Chinese manufacturers because it's their only way to make ends meet.

Very interesting Bruno - fascinating that a skill like this goes back millennia...

Originally Posted by Bruno

The Japanese sword industry in Japan is being strangled by the Japanese government, who forbid smiths to a) produce more than 2 swords per month, and b) produce any swords at all that are not traditionally made.

If you want to know why there are no affordable Japanese katana, it's because the government does not allow smiths to forge budget katana from monosteel stock. That means starting off with tamahagane nuggets, folding, etc.

The root cause of the issue is more complex than that... the allies prohibited the manufacture and possession of weapons post WW2. The NBTHK was created to maintain the tradition by switching the sword from "weapon" to "piece of art". That explains why there are no monosteel swords manufactured in Japan... they have no artistic value and are thus weapons, therefore prohibited. That is also why you won't be able to bring in a gunto or similar mass-produced swords to Japan, for example. The weapon will be confiscated and most likely broken.

A second reason is that there is actually very low demand in Japan.

Very interesting. Did not expect to see a draw knife used in the making of it and how the slanting/crossing lines formed that look in the hamon. All of the time spent on the forging and then all the time on the polishing explains why a quality one would cost so much.

Originally Posted by MichaelP

The root cause of the issue is more complex than that... the allies prohibited the manufacture and possession of weapons post WW2. The NBTHK was created to maintain the tradition by switching the sword from "weapon" to "piece of art". That explains why there are no monosteel swords manufactured in Japan... they have no artistic value and are thus weapons, therefore prohibited. That is also why you won't be able to bring in a gunto or similar mass-produced swords to Japan, for example. The weapon will be confiscated and most likely broken.

A second reason is that there is actually very low demand in Japan.

Yes and no. Yes, that is part of it, thanks to McArthur iirc. However, in Japan every traditional art is regulated down to the last detail. The '2 swords per month' limit for example. And while it is true that demand for monosteel swords is low in Japan (this might be like the chicken and egg problem) there is a huge foreign demand for monosteel swords and there are many people such as myself who would prefer a Japanese sword if they could get one instead of Chinese. The smiths are asking for a loosening of the restrictions as well. But the government refuses to consider it, with the results I mentioned.

At the end I wish I would have seen a 3 hour version of the film directed by Spielberg. But this was so Japanese and so are the restrictions. I have heard that at some level of skill a craftsman in Japan is declared a National Treasure. While living in San Francisco years ago, many times I would go to a museum in Golden Gate Park and inevitably end up in the Oriental wing of a donated private collection of the museum where they had a section devoted to Japanese art. Up until that time, I don't think I had seen anything as beautiful as a Katana. Thanks again for the post....that bit with the sculpey was an excellent way to illustrate the process.

Bruno,

The demand is low for proper nihonto inside the country, outside a few very rich collectors (or people trying them as an investment). There's roughly 2 million registered nihonto in Japan, that's sub 2% ownership and it's probably way lower thanks to the museums and collectors. For the average citizen the associated paperwork is a pain, they do take space, there's associated costs thanks to the "agreeably moist" climate and old ones are considered "bad luck" as they could have been used to kill someone (my wife still refuses to touch my antique blades, she tolerates my modern ones). The space issue explains why tanto actually fetch surprising prices compared to longer blades.

Families used to hold to the family weapons, but that is also fading out judging by the amount of cheap old blades being sold/exported all year round. I'm checking Japanese auction sites every so often and I keep seeing antique blades sold at very low prices. Some of those then appear on ebay a couple of weeks later, with a higher price. I would be in line to inherit my wife's family swords as there's simply no family member born after the war that wants them. Most probably they will be given away to a museum as we don't have kids to inherit them when the time comes. I'm also viewed in a weird light by most of the family because I wouldn't mind having them and already own Japanese blades of my own. If the family wasn't so uninterested in the subject, I could have bought several nihonto in full koshirae being sold by other families in the area... they didn't want to get involved and have to keep them while the export papers were prepared.

There is no demand whatsoever for monosteel swords at this point as they are simply illegal to own, produce or import. We're not talking "misdemeanor" here but "criminal offence" punishable by a JPY300000 fine and/or up to 3 years jail time for a national. As a foreigner, you'd be deported after a few days of detention and banned from re-entry for 10 years if you're found in Japan with an unlicensed blade longer than 13cm.

The lack of demand for monosteel could be a "chicken and egg" problem, but then there's also loads of cheap nihonto being exported every month that just need a bit of TLC to be tameshigiri-ready... so I'd vote against the "chicken and egg" and for "lack of interest".

As a visitor to Japan, your non-Japanese sword is supposed to be confiscated at the border and given back to you when you cross the border on your way out. If you plan to go with a Japanese sword, you will need to arrange for the paperwork in advance... the original ownership license became invalid when it was exported and it will have to go through shinsa to get a new ownership license. You need to time it correctly as the shinsa only happens once a month.

As a resident getting a a non-Japanese sword delivered, you will have to choose between sending it back to where it came from or having it destroyed by the police (broken in sub 30cm segments).

If someone finds an unlicensed blade in Japan (something grandpa hid after the war, usually), that person needs to contact the police crime prevention unit to get a temporary license allowing the person to bring the weapon to the next shinsa. Failure to do so is once more a criminal offence with up to 3 years in jail and/or up to a JPY300000 fine. The sword will have to go through shinsa to get granted a proper ownership license, and Showato/Gunto will automatically fail the shinsa. Blades rejected at shinsa will be broken in sub 30cm segments by the police.

I was shocked at the low interest in nihonto when I was over there... I visited the Bizen Osafune Sword Museum late afternoon on a Saturday and talked with the craftsmen (through my lovely translator). We were the only visitors on that day and they had maybe 3 visitors in the entire week. The craftsmen were amused that a young gaijin had such interest in the craft and was asking so many practical questions about habaki making, koshirae making and tsukamaki instead of going "ooh, aah, sugoi". I also visited the Kyoto National Museum as they were showing national treasures and the nihonto side of the exhibition didn't attract many people. There's peaks of interest when a new successful chanbara or jidai-geki is aired, which then flares out after a few weeks... similar to what a dojo experiences.

Like many traditional Japanese arts, I guess that interest in nihonto is "jijikusai"... it's mostly for nostalgic old people. It's both a blessing and a curse: in the short term, it means one can buy stuff on the cheap... in the long term, it means that the arts will be dead in a few generations.

I did look into the subject in the past when we were trying to decide on the place to settle... Europe or Japan

Excellent video Bruno thanks for sharing I have watch several similar but not this one
Love the playdoh example of the fogging effects
The final hamon is totally awesome