Where You Can Become an Apprentice of a Katana Swordsmith for a Day

You want to know more about how Japanese swords are actually made. But it takes years of training to make a true Japanese sword. Here, however, you can experience becoming a swordsmith even if you have no experience at all. You can even take the small sword you made home with you, making it a perfect souvenir. If you come to Kyoto, be sure to try this experience.
●Masahiro Katana Workshop
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[Timecodes]
0:00 Let's START!
1:53 Points for Examining a Katana
5:25 Hizukuri (shaping the knife) (swordsmith's example)
12:13 Hizukuri (shaping the knife) (Shogo's turn)
21:37 Yakinamashi (relieving the stress)
25:00 Making the Hamon Patterns
26:57 Yakiire (quenching)
31:46 Yakimodoshi (reheating)
32:44 Polishing of the Knife
33:50 Engraving Kanji Characters
34:56 Seeing the Finished Knife
35:47 The Ending
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• 5 Real KATANA Recommen...
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[@sportstermissions]

You cannot get this great content in ENGLISH from anywhere so authentic! Nobody gives us such great traditional Japanese content better than team Shogo! They really seem like family to me!

[@Shingojikung]

Ikr

[@Theorof]

I was really happy that he was telling you to put the steel back in the fire when it still had some color. In primitive carbon steel that you don't know the composition of, you can't work it too cold or you can create cracks that will show up during the quench.

[@LetsaskShogo]

Ohhh so that's the reason why! Thank you so much for teaching me✨

[@BotanRice]

cool!

[@jeanladoire4141]

yup, old iron is capricious and doesnt like being stretched. we say katanas are made of folded steels, but i've forged old iron bars for an old barn door that were of layered steel. Actually, all of the old iron, in europe, asia, africa, wherever, are all folded. it's the only way to clean your iron and make something solid out of it. So it ressembles a piece of wood, and has directionnal strenght. One solution to work that kind of steel properly is to forge it hot, and not hesitate to re-weld it onto itself.

[@josecruz8803]

Shogo, It is actually a life goal for me to make myself a blade using traditional blacksmithing like this. I can not express how proud, and a bit jealous, I am that you were given such an opportunity.

[@PaleHorseShabuShabu]

Shogo: "What character do you think I had engraved?" Me and my wife: "Harumi." It would have been cool to see the knife presented to her. Great video, such a neat process and it's cool that you get to be hands on through so much of it.

[@beatfromjetsetradio8239]

14:58 “Fire flakes” had me chuckling a little bit. Is it possible you were searching for the word “sparks” in that moment, Shogo? In your defense, it’s hard to speak a foreign language when your face is close to a roaring furnace!

[@stefannico]

I literally just watched this to see your excitement and it was so worth it. As someone who was trained in steel processing for over 3 1/2 years, I could easily follow the steps and understood what each step did to the steal, changing its molucelar set-up. Also isn't it fascinating, that people houndreds of years ago, without microscopes were able to understand what happened to the blade as it was formed, just through trial and error and teaching the next generation, what you have learned over decades of mastering your craft. Also this blacksmith seemed really patient and so nice. He really embraced the old way of learning and teaching something. It can only be done by doing it yourself. Not just watching an expert wield the hammer but experiencing: that your own wrists are not as strong; your precision not being there yet and; your eye not yet capable of seeing and understanding the craft fully (as it was for me years ago). Its humbling and also such an achievement to build something with your own hands. I am glad you had this experience. Enjoy your new knife. I'm sure it will pass down generations as well.

[@jeanladoire4141]

You don't really need a microscope to see the carbon content or the grain tho. High carbon steel shines like silver, will skid a file, and when breaking steel you will see its grains by eye quite clearly. You can also spark test it. with old tools you need to file a hot piece of the steel tho, an old grindstone will rarely produce sparks

[@justanotherculturedindivid2834]

Katanas are so freaking cool!!! I don't just say that as a weeb, I say that as a lover of Japan!

[@otakuoppai3898]

I am with you man

[@pepeman4833]

@@otakuoppai3898 same

[@appletree13]

I say the same thing, but as a lover of swords.

[@Hugo_Tate]

Is your PFP the guy from jujutsu Kaisen?

[@idealusernames]

😐😐

[@Soul1Heart]

Your excitement just shines through this video, looking excited like a child. Definitely something I would like to try if I have a chance to go to Kyoto. Can't imagine all the hard work that goes into a full katana.

[@psoren423]

I love hearing the smith speak the blade into existence. It’s not just the heat and hammer but the will of the teacher bringing out the blade. Thank you for sharing.

[@stelitsa9535]

Man, seeing Shogo have so much fun is a treat on its own, but seeing such an interesting place too? You guys are spoiling us! 😆💖

[@SyntaxScout]

Was an emotional video,every blade made have it's own soul. (Bows to you)

[@mikotagayuna8494]

This is all very nice but every JRPG fan knows that the only way to obtain any half-decent katana is to hunt down and decimate the local wildlife until some creature drops one.

[@izabela.wilson]

Naming your piece Harumi with all the three waves was heartwarming 🥰

[@jamesfarmer4157]

I literally love this as a whole. Amazing content and amazing blacksmithing and learning all in one.

[@projektg89]

Fire is a beautiful element I still remember the shape of the fire when I was in Poland at the Witcherschool and made my first knife. Sadly we didnt had much time like you.

[@MichaelAllensonBladesmith]

Thank you for filming and sharing this experience; I got the same happiness as when I have students learning their first knife in my own shop. I love watching people learn the craft.

[@bluewingedchaoscat]

So much craftmanship, feeling, observation, practice, patience and soul involved. It's amazing.

[@hawkssight3086]

I am so envious . Thank you for sharing such an amazing experience .

[@zillahstar]

This was so cool to watch!

[@Ad_Nauseam.]

I loved watching your experience in making this beautiful blade, well done!

[@jsullivan2112]

Amazing! Well done Shogo! Unbelievable number of exciting things to do in Kyoto, this is definitely the community I need to come to when I visit Japan.

[@stevenb7319]

Just started the video but am super excited!!!

[@mikeymondavi]

Loved this! As someone who wants to spend the rest of his years out in retirement making edged items overlooking the ocean, seeing this process up close (without the use of auto-hammers and modern tools) is very encouraging. Thanks everyone!

[@Rikekahere]

It was so nice to see this , thank you so much for sharing ! ♥

[@Hermes2423]

That was such an exciting glimpse into the work of a blade smith. This was a fun video to watch guys! Thanks!

[@lynetteray2146]

Really loving this video! The whole process of creating this sword is amazing!

[@cliffhounshell8320]

Thank you! My son and I can’t wait to do this when we visit.

[@nightraid7]

This is awesome, you guys did a amazing job 🗡🔥

[@akauknowbetta]

I luv that. The additional 200g was your emotions. That's beautiful

[@robertkoontz7865]

It was a joy watching you learn blacksmithing. So many disciplines so little time to master.

[@keintabak]

It was a privileged to see the process performed by a master swords maker! Thank you so much, Shogo san!

[@themaskedsenpai1003]

The looks like the most amazing experience. I definitely want to do this when I visit

[@protoncoccus3229]

He's so happy there 💗 the fire looks cool too

[@abeldasilva9368]

Wow Shogo what an experience thanks for sharing this with the world.

[@TTMS-Khaz-kun]

This looked super interesting! I love katanas and I'm very interested in seeing their creative process - and by extension the process of weapon making in general. This was amazing to watch! And I have to say.. that slow airing of the flames in the dark and the sound it produces is definitely some unintentional ASMR stuff. Really relaxing.

[@peterlu111]

I really enjoyed this video. Thank you

[@aaronaaronsen3360]

The glowing forge and the flying sparks gave me a "Princess Mononoke" vibe. That was awesome, thank you !

[@sarupk]

AWESOME video and experience! i love it.

[@erichusayn]

Just that smile on your face at the beginning says it all

[@Shockwave_App]

Great teacher and great student!

[@gonzalocarbonell4242]

Buen trabajo amigo. Hermosa experiencia. Me gusto mucho el video. Gracias. 👍👍👍👍

[@happy_camper]

It’s a beautiful process!

[@Mortyr45]

What a amazing experience you miar have Shogo, learing na old tradicional tecnic 😍😍😍

[@derfreisi4317]

through your videos you showed me many cool places, I want to visit when comming to japan. This one is now on place 1 of my list

[@LetsaskShogo]

It was absolutely amazing✨

[@taz2906]

This makes me so happy I could cry

[@ronisworld2916]

wow! i would love to have this experience as well. someday, Shogo! someday!

[@davidlong3696]

I enjoy Your videos very much,I am grateful. Thank You.

[@christobaliancantu7112]

Freaking awesome! I make knives and almost all my knives I make are differentially quenched. It's so awesome to craft beautiful things. That is such an experience and thank you for sharing 😊

[@rumplstiltztinkerstein]

He is such a great teacher

[@aryanyadav353]

Shogo san. Only in your video explained details of making katana. Thank you for the such valuable content.

[@mansmo9513]

Imagine all the artisans through the centuries. they must have went through many trials and errors to pass down this beautiful art. can't help but be thankful to them. 本当に感動しました。

[@yasuke414]

Another great video thanks shogo

[@nickmorales8146]

Thank you very much so go this was educational entertaining and I love watching it the expressions on your face was priceless dude you're awesome. Again thank you your friend in southern Nevada Nicholas

[@shawnmcdowell5477]

That was so cool in making your knife.

[@williamjester3196]

You did a great job. Your heightened energy is infectious. I need to go to this wonderful place and sweat a little.

[@haykkhojayan3207]

Perfect work. Congratulations!!!

[@monicab204]

That was absolutely amazing! Your excitement and enjoyment gave me so much joy to watch. I LOVED every moment of this video!! I would definitely want this experience if/when I get to travel to Japan/Kyoto. ❤️❤️❤️

[@LetsaskShogo]

This is absolutely one of the best experiences we've ever done before! I'll remember this day forever✨

[@ronsorage78]

Very well done.

[@GlenHunt]

This is something I've been watching a lot of lately. Not an easy thing to do! Notare hamon is my favorite because I have always lived by the sea.

[@joshuamartindale868]

This must have been an awesome experience. I hope I can do this someday. 🙂

[@JoseNunez-mo9zf]

That was the best video ever I enjoyed that so much I love watching Gitana being made or knife in general I love it❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️⚔️✌️

[@BotanRice]

Imagine how cool it would be to be a katana blacksmith! It seems like an awesome experience that anyone would want to do for a living!

[@whalesarefromspace4260]

this is one of the things i wish i could dedicate myself to, in my experience doing manual work like that has always been so freeing!! the only issue would be my sound sensitivity :-( so being able to observe from a sound-controlled distance is really great for me!! thank you for another incredibly well-made video :-)))

[@andres7625]

Lord you're killing me, i love forges, im gona save this vid for the future

[@R3DSHlFT]

My dojo goes every 2 years I believe to Japan. If we do that again (then that's gonna be my 1st time going to Japan) then I will definitely recommend this to everyone there.

[@philiptruitt]

Thank you!

[@danielclark-hughes692]

On a purely surface level Katana are very cool but then you find out the religious aspects of them and they sort of morph into becoming incredibly beautiful.

[@hosskatt-8317]

Loved it

[@dianaanca7079]

that's awesome!

[@sexypandemonium1581]

Thank you Shogo :)

[@Triple-prince]

The dedication that he had is amazing and how easy he can move the heavier hammer

[@pensmith]

Nice details.

[@kimkracht8936]

Cool great job

[@tienisdutoit8301]

Amazing 🤯

[@dalewalker5671]

Would love to have a chance to be able to try this

[@chuckporter9526]

I made a tanto from an old logger's buzzsaw maybe 10yrs ago. Cut it out with a plasma cutter, sharpened, shaped, whole bit. Even built the handle... poorly, since the blade points pretty noticeably to the right. Whoops. Still, it's one of my proudest creations: my first live blade. But the experience looked nothing like this. Like, seeing the lightning rope over the entrance to the smith's shop gave me tingles. I would be equal parts frightened and excited to be in a real Japanese shop like Masahiro's. Scared to death of messing something up. Masahiro-san seemed very gracious with his directing you!

[@TobiDyLetsPlay100]

Pure Art right there! I'm jealous! xD

[@limken1343]

I definitely wanna go there. May Japan fully open up soon ^_^

[@WeirdAlsOdderCousin]

Shogo, konichi-wa. The US horse cavalry units found that straight swords from horseback stick in bone much more often, yanking your blade out of the hand. So you will notice that US and Confederate cavalry swords have a heavy curve to cut deeply without nearly the risk of losing your weapon. This makes martial "sense" to me that Katana, Tachi, and Nodachi started with heavy curves during the horse driven battles. As time goes by, more fighting is done on foot, so you need a shorter sword without as much of a curve. I've been doing western martial arts (full armor, full contact, all weapons made of rattan) since the mid 1980's, and swords are my thing. If there is a single book I could recommend to you, it would be "The Book of the Sword" by Sir Richard Burton. (He's a VERY colorful character with an amazing history!)

[@Rohna]

Gosh I love swords so much. This will definitelly be on my list on things to do in Japan and especially Kyoto. I am so sad that where I live there aren't any Iaido classes nor smiths... Well except I haven't found them yet

[@pillowcaseee]

Ah, so this is a citizen of the sword smith village. The clip of Shogo holding the Nichirin in the beginning is so cool!

[@TheDude68305]

What an experience! I'd so love to make my own katana or tachi. Congratulations!

[@althesmith]

Your series encouraged me to buy a shinsakuto as opposed to an antique and get into Iaido -at the age of 62! My shinsakuto was made by Seki-Ju Kanetoki in 1977 and is far better suited to my height than most older blades should I ever try tameshigiri. I'm a Canadian bladesmith who regularly tests his blades since I started forging 30 years ago, and I know how much stress cutting will place on a long blade, and I feel that a newer sword will be likely to have fewer stresses due to past use than an older piece- plus I don't feel as nervous about taking a chance at scratching a piece of history.

[@OsunaS]

Wow this is so cool!!! Man I really love Japanese culture. I hope some day I can visit Japan

[@conorcrockett9563]

Nice Knife Shogo-san

[@phillipn5433]

I would love to do this.

[@AnnaAnna-uc2ff]

Thanks.

[@Jamesified740]

Very cool 👍

[@DetectivePlays0]

That's the coolest butter knife I've ever seen in my life

[@erhiueQWEF]

Hi Shogo-san, would you consider a lecture covering what swordsmiths and types of swords did the Shinsengumi use?

[@aaronyork3995]

I am a traditional rare Mocotaganak crooked knife maker. Sensai teaches so well

[@MrAqr2598]

I made a bigger, survival knife-esque blade with Nakanishi-sensei. It was an exhausting process; just the pushing and pulling of the bellows drained all of my strength, and the hammer was super-heavy. However, the knife came out awesome, and I'm definitely going back to make my own small knife like the one made in the vid.

[@squigeon7959]

The fact that you made the hamon pattern symbolize your children and engraved 晴 into the blade is so heartwarming

[@lynetteray2146]

OMG! You had to wait for the colors to change in the heated metal! That is HARD!

[@brandonward3551]

Another well done & informative vid about my favorite of blades. Btw, where did you get those tabi boots?

[@gundanium3126]

You did well for your first time and had a great teacher. The first time, I had no teacher (I was going self-teaching; I later took some classes) and melted the steel four times, so There was nothing to be embarrassed about. It takes one year of experience to develop the hammer control needed to hit the target with ease. I always forget Japanese bladesmiths work sitting down, as I am a Western bladesmith who works standing up. 😅And I thought my Grinder area was messy. That is a Nice little tool for applying clay or dirt. I might have to make one, as I have been using my vise to do it. I cheat when I do the quench...I use a hand-held Laser pyrometer Dont supose you remember the weight of the hammers?

[@MadmanDKDK]

I think you're mixing annealing with hardening and reheating with tempering. Usually when you anneal something you make it softer, so you can work it with a hammer or other tools (files, bandsanders/saws etc.), hardening is what you did after applying the dirt mixture to the blade, causing it to become extremely hard and brittle - in order to normalize it - you temper it. So it'll remain hard to keep an edge, but not shatter into shards if you hit it. Still an absolutely amazing video, and I'd love to try out those techniques myself.

[@bonher69]

You would be a great apprentice!

[@rahmanamuhammadfajri5607]

well aside from being x anime otaku, fire and steel are really man romance, i worked in steel files industries (if you see the part where nakani-san do some finishing to the handle after engraving 'harumi'), and the process in making steel files itself not deviated from steel and fire and moreso artisan thank you for the content shogo its really exciting watching you create something that you like and for now representing us dealing (playing) with fire and steel

[@midtwnscott]

Great job Shogo! You're whole face lights up you're enjoying it so much is fabulous. Now, for your next project, try a traditionally made kobuse or hon san may wakizashi! LOL. Just kidding.... but love seeing you so happy.

[@LetsaskShogo]

Thank you so much Scott! But I'm seriously considering making a custom katana✨

[@midtwnscott]

@@LetsaskShogo Do it!!!! You will not regret it!!!!! You set the parameters for what you like and want. I keep thinking of that picture of the Nao Shizu blade I sent you on instagram! That screams "SWORD."