小刀職人 | Kogatana Blacksmith | 長池廣行

There is a small sword here. Banshuu Mikiyuchi Hamono. It has a history of more than 100 years. It has five requirements, such as whether the technology and techniques continue to this day. In 1996, the then Minister of Industry was appointed as a traditional craftsman. Mr. Hiroyuki Nagaike, a traditional craftsman. He was born in the 14th year of the Showa era. His father, Mr. Akira, founded Mikisho Hamono Honpo in the Daisho era. After graduating from junior high school, he started training and making small swords. He is now a traditional craftsman in Mikisho, Hyogo Prefecture. He has been making swords for two days, from the material to the small sword. What young people do is to stay in the company. You can't just stay in the company. You have to stay in the industry to make a living. The fire is made with straw. The charcoal is used to ignite the fire. Cork is added to stabilize the fire. While adjusting the amount of air, the temperature of the furnace is maintained at about 1,100 degrees. Then the straw is heated. At that time, the temperature of the straw reaches about 700 to 800 degrees. The heated straw is taken out of the furnace. While being aware of the width and thickness, it is hit with a hammer to shape it. After this, it is placed in a single-stack. A single-stack is a combination of two types of metal materials. A single-stack is heated and hit to make a combination. Steel is made from Hitachi Yasukihagane's Aogami Super. Radiation, radiation, and iron powder are added to make a combination. When it meets the magnetic field, it is returned to the furnace. At this time, if the temperature of the material is raised too much, it will be easier to combine. On the other hand, it will cause damage to the metal structure. The craftsman works with a sense while measuring the temperature of the material and the furnace. By hitting, the metal crystal becomes finer. It creates a sticky state and increases the strength. At the same time, it is hit and stretched to the required length. The small blade is cut off at the length of 1 inch, which is made once for 2 inches. It is heated again. When it is taken out of the furnace, it is hit until it is 2 inches long. While stretching, carefully adjust the width and thickness. While the weight of the hit material is even, hit the steel with the soil. Reduce it so that there are no scratches on the bottom of the furnace. Hold the material with chopsticks and twist it. Heat it with the furnace, hit it with water, and heat it again with the furnace. It is to prevent the shape from returning to its original form when it cools down. The small blade is cut off at the length of 1 inch, which is made once for 2 inches. Therefore, when the steel surface of the small blade is attached to the blade, the front and back are reversed. The work of exchanging the chest and blade is called the replacement of the blade. This work is a process unique to the small blade even in the making of metal objects. The small blade of the hand is formed so that the chest is thick and the blade is thin. It is a feature that is not found in blades made by tilting the iron plate. When the wood is finished, it is divided into two parts and a small bowl is made. By cooling it gradually over a day, it makes the organization even and makes it difficult to hang. This is the end of the first day's work. I can use anything. This is old school. A small bowl is finished. The backing sound of torches is played. Firstly, the stone is crushed by tile and shaped into the flat. We polish the back of the blade to make an R-shape. By doing this along with the back of the blade, we can finish the blade into a sharp, easy-to-cut, and excellent kogatana. We seal the blade and shape it. To check if the entire kogatana is not twisted, we hit it with the clay and adjust it. We polish and attach the blade. We polish several times, and gradually bring it closer to the shape we aim for. Before baking, we apply mud to the kogatana. We turn this kogatana into a high temperature state, and put it in water to cool it down. However, even if we put a high temperature kogatana in water, the kogatana will burst and we will not be able to cool it down quickly. If we apply mud first, even if we put it in water after heating it, the mud on the surface will absorb the water, and we will be able to cool it down quickly. We adjust the amount of air in the kogatana while controlling the wind with our hands. We heat the kogatana to about 800 degrees. The temperature of the kogatana is different depending on the type of steel used. Aogami Super can make hard, durable kogatana, but it is known that it is difficult to adjust the temperature of this kogatana. We put it in water and cool it down quickly. We use a small amount of carbon dioxide, and put it back in the oven. We maintain the temperature at about 200 degrees. The re-baking is a two-dimensional, original work. We remove the mud from the kogatana. We make a final fine adjustment with our hands. We polish the steel part and make it shine. We polish the entire kogatana with a mixed carbonate. After this, we start to sharpen the blade. We sharpen it with a sharpening stone of about 180. Then we sharpen it with a sharpening stone of 800. At this time, we sharpen it so that the back blade comes out. We do a back-press. We sharpen it with a sharpening stone of 1000 to 1400. Finally, we polish the blade with a sharpening stone powder, and only the metal part becomes white. Let's see the change in the blade of the kogatana from rough-sharpening to fine-sharpening. In rough-sharpening, the eyes of the sharpener are still clear. In fine-sharpening, the eyes of the sharpener become finer. We can see that the edge of the kogatana has been sharpened and back-pressed. In fine-sharpening, the eyes of the sharpener become finer. The metal and steel parts shine beautifully. We polish the entire blade with a fine-sharpening stone, and apply varnish. The kogatana is completed in two days. The kogatana requires a complicated work process. Mr. Nagaike has faced kogatana since he was a child. What does kogatana making mean to Mr. Nagaike? It's fun. To be honest, I can't say I'm satisfied with my work. I'd like to do it again, but I can't. I don't use it for anything, but when I look at it, I think, if I hadn't done it, I wouldn't have been able to do it. When I do it, I feel good. When I don't do it, I think, I shouldn't have done it. That's what I think.