Iron

Japanese: 鏟∥銑 - せん

The character 鏟 can also be read as san, and in the Chinese Han dynasty it was a farm tool used for weeding and tilling, and in the Tang dynasty it was a large chisel-shaped tool. Nowadays it refers to a tool used to level something. In Japan it is a tool used by blacksmiths to clear metal, and is also mentioned in the Wamyōshō under the name Narashi, and is said to be a tool used to plan wood flat. It is used with both hands, with blacksmiths pushing and woodworkers pulling to plan. The Chinese Ming dynasty Zhengzitō states that "a plane holds a 鏟 in a wooden box," which is thought to mean a base plane.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

鏟は〈さん〉とも読み，中国漢代には，除草･中耕用の農具の鋤，唐代には大型の鑿（のみ）状工貝をいったものらしい。現在ではものを削平にする道具をいう。日本では，鍛冶屋の地金透（す）き工具で，《和名抄》にも奈良之（ならし）の名で記載があり，木を平らに削る工具でもあるとしている。両手使いで，鍛冶用は押して，木工用は引いて削る。中国明代の《正字通》に〈鉋は鏟を木筐中に銜（ふく）む〉とあり，台鉋（だいがんな）のことを意味すると考えられる。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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