Hot Iron and Hard Wood
in the Heart of the Shimanto
Traditional Japanese blacksmith experience
Travel to the last untouched river valley of Japan and strike steel. Deep in the country-side you will meet an artisan blacksmith and his partner, a hunter and woodworker. They work closely in concert with one another, forging steel and shaping wood handles and sheaths. Starting with unshaped blocks of iron and wood, they will help you to create a unique knife. While this alone would certainly be an amazing experience, you will also be enveloped in the culture of the valley. Their daily life is deeply connected with the forestry workers and hunters who use their knives and hatchets in their work. As you progress through the process of creating your knife, you will learn about the lives of these people and the Shimanto river valley.
Meeting Time
8:00a.m.
Meeting Place
Katsuhide Blacksmith Shop (1106-3 Togawa, Shimanto-cho, Takaoka-gun, Kochi)
Details of Tour / Activity
You have come to be an apprentice to a master blacksmith. He is the third generation at this location with over a decade of experience on his own. While showing you many examples of his own work, the master allows you a wide margin of freedom as you draw your own design.
Donning an apron and heavy gloves, you strike. Sparks fly as steel yields to your hammer. Under the master’s watchful eye, your design takes shape—sometimes following your plan, sometimes following the iron’s own will. A careful process of cooling and heating will harden and temper your creation.
Your knife, now partially formed, will need a handle. The smith’s woodworking partner will guide you in selecting a wood type and shape. Using planes and files you make a handle specifically for the shape of your grip.
Now, hours into the process, you begin to be distracted by a savory smell and a rumble in your mid-section. Amazingly, while working away with you shaping your knife handle, she has also somehow prepared lunch. Made with local venison or wild boar (or both if you are lucky) lunch is sure to satisfy.
Two days will pass in a blur of sparks and wood shavings. At the end you will leave with an inimitable handcrafted knife and handle shaped according to your imagination and formed to your hand. But more than this you will come to know the people and customs of the Shimanto River Valley.
Details
Availability
This tour is available year-round and can be conducted 2-3 times per month
Required time
This is a time intensive tour. It will require about 10 hours to complete the entire process. This may require two days. Please contact us to consult.
Price
¥33,000 yen/day
Included
- Activity fee
-Material costs
-Apron, gloves and the use of blacksmithing and woodworking tools
Important information
- Please note that the finished product may not be exactly what you envisioned.
-Depending on the knife handle and the sheath you make, it may require two days to complete your project. In this case, you will be charged an additional 33,000 yen per person for the second day.
-Accident insurance is not included. Please arrange your own insurance if necessary.
-If you are looking for accommodation nearby, please contact us for help (reservations will be made on a case by case basis and are not included in the base price).
-Please wear clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty.
-For safety reasons please wear long-sleeves, long pants and shoes that completely cover your feet. No sandals!
-Please expect to reserve this experience at least two weeks in advance.
Cancellation Policy
-Three days before to the day before at 5 PM: 50% of the fee
-On the day/No-show cancellation: 100% of the fee