Swordsmith - Katana

A craftsman who specializes in making swords. They are also called swordworkers or swordsmiths. In the 13th century, during the Kamakura period, swordsmiths differentiated from ordinary blacksmiths in response to demand. Although they were limited by the location of the raw material, iron sand, production areas such as Nara, Kyoto, Kamakura, Seki (Gifu Prefecture), Fukuoka, Yoshioka, and Osafune (all in Okayama Prefecture) were established and became bases for swordsmithing. Collective production took place there. In the 15th century, during the Muromachi period, new production areas were created and mass production, such as the practice of striking swords in large numbers, began, which led to a decline in quality.

From the Edo period in the 17th century, swordsmiths began to produce swords individually in castle towns where samurai lived, and the collective production of the past was no longer the case. However, while preserving traditional techniques, they adopted a new forging method called "orikaeshi" by using new iron materials instead of iron sand. The raw iron material no longer had to be refined from iron sand, but instead was refined tamahagane and imported Nanban iron. The tools used were the same as those used by ordinary blacksmiths, including a hammer, anvil, chopsticks, and bellows. In particular, the bellows were efficient pump-type box bellows. The demand for swords, which were weapons, fluctuated depending on the social and political situation of the time, and swordsmiths also rose and fell. There were many swordsmiths who were said to be master craftsmen, but few of their biographies are clear. In the second half of the 13th century, Awataguchi Yoshimitsu of Kyoto and Okazaki Masamune of Kamakura were known as excellent swordsmiths. In the first half of the 17th century, Umeda Myoju of Kyoto invented new techniques and is considered the founder of the new sword style. In the first half of the 19th century, Suishinshi Masahide of Edo worked hard to revive old techniques and ushered in a new era. However, today the practical role of the sword has decreased and it is becoming limited in existence.

[Motoo Endo]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

刀をつくる専門職人。刀工、刀匠(とうしょう)ともいう。13世紀の鎌倉期にはその需要に応じて一般の鍛冶から分化していた。原料の砂鉄の産地に制約されてはいたが、奈良、京都、鎌倉をはじめ関（岐阜県）、福岡、吉岡、長船(おさふね)（いずれも岡山県）といった生産地ができて、刀鍛冶の拠点となった。そこでは集団生産が行われていた。15世紀の室町期には、さらに新しい生産地も生まれ、数打ちといった大量生産も始まったので、品質は落ちてきた。

　17世紀の江戸期からは、武士層の居住地としての城下町で個別に生産するようになり、かつての集団生産ではなくなってきた。しかし、伝統技術を守る一方に、砂鉄にかわる新しい鉄材の使用によって新しい折り返しという鍛錬(たんれん)法をとるようになった。原料の鉄材も砂鉄から精錬しなくても、精錬された玉鋼(たまはがね)とか輸入の南蛮(なんばん)鉄などを利用するようになっていた。道具は、一般の鍛冶と同様で、金槌(かなづち)と金床(かなとこ)（金敷）と金箸(かねばし)（やっとこ）とふいごであった。ことにふいごは効率的なポンプ仕掛けの箱ふいごが用いられてきた。武器である刀の需要はそれぞれの時代の社会・政治情勢によって高低がみられ、したがって刀鍛冶にも盛衰があった。また、名工と伝えられる刀鍛冶も多くあったが、伝記の明らかなものは少ない。13世紀後半、京都の粟田口吉光(あわたぐちよしみつ)、鎌倉の岡崎正宗(まさむね)は優れた刀鍛冶として知られている。17世紀前半には京都の埋忠明寿(うめただみょうじゅ)が新しい技法をくふうして新刀の祖とされ、19世紀前半には、江戸の水心子正秀(すいしんしまさひで)が古い技術の復興に努力して新時代をつくった。しかし、今日では刀の実用的な役割は少なくなり、限られた存在となりつつある。

［遠藤元男］

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