Japanese swordsmiths are known for working conscientiously and delivering the highest quality. Today, we will clarify the question of how long it takes to make such a sword. We will also take a look at the individual stages of production.
Katana and other samurai swords must be made in the traditional way to be recognised as genuine nihonto.
Production of Tamahagane steel
Tamahagane is the traditional material for making sword blades in Japan. This ancient steel is produced with the help of a racing furnace (tatara). By today's standards, the production process consumes vast amounts of resources and takes several days.
After the steel has been produced, it is divided into grades according to carbon content and each bladesmith can select the desired grade for a blade.
Forging the blade
The steel for the later sword blade is first assembled from small pieces and forged, then the sword blade is forged.
After forging, the blade is hardened and the blacksmith roughly shapes the blade.
Polishing work
The polisher (togishi) takes the finished blade and begins to work on it. The polishing of a Japanese sword blade consists of numerous steps.
It usually takes several weeks for the details of the blade to be worked out by the polisher.
Production of the mount (Koshirae)
Once the blade is finished, you can now work on the mount.
The handle (tsuka) and the sword sheath (saya) are also made in this step. The production of the handle alone involves woodworking, attaching the seed and tying the handle winding.
It can take several weeks until the complete mount is ready.
The complete production of a Japanese sword takes this long
As described above, the production of such a sword consists of many time-consuming steps. In addition, it can happen at the end of a step that the previous work can be undone.
For example, hardening the blade may reveal forging defects that were not previously visible and it may be necessary to repeat the entire forging process.
Specialised craftsmen are needed at every stage of production and they have to coordinate with each other.
The production of a complete sword in Japan usually takes 10 to 18 months.
