The production of a katana is divided into a large number of stages and can take several months. First, steel pieces of the tamahagane grade are placed next to each other, covered with a clay solution and covered with ash. This allows you to remove slag from the steel, which during melting will be removed from the metal and will be absorbed by the clay and

ash. Next, the metal pieces are heated to combine them. After that, hammer forging takes place: the created rod is flattened and folded, then again flattened and folded again - thus, the number of layers is doubled (with 10 folding, 1024 layers are obtained, with 20 - 1048576) As a result, carbon is evenly located in the rod, which allows make sure that the strength of the blade is the same over the entire surface.

Katana manufacturing technology

Then, softer steel must be placed in the workpiece so that the blade does not break under severe dynamic loads. During forging, which takes several days, the workpiece lengthens and by joining strips with different hardness, the structure of the blade and its original shape are formed. Next, a series of liquid clay is applied - to prevent oxidation and overheating. A pattern is formed on the cutting edge - the jamon hardening line.

This line becomes visible during the polishing of the sword. Jamon is a hallmark of a master; it is possible to find out from it who created the katana. Then the sword is hardened: it is heated to a temperature of approximately 840-850 ° C and immediately cooled, as a result of which the katana takes on extraordinary hardness. In addition, during the hardening process, the blade bends on its own, while the magnitude and shape of the deflection are specific and depend on the cooling method. Then the blade is given a finished look, sharpened and polished using stones of different grain sizes. Moreover, the master strives to achieve completely flat surfaces and clear angles of the faces between the planes. Sometimes on parts of the katana that have not been hardened, a decorative engraving is created, usually on the theme of Buddhism. After polishing and decorating the handle, the katana can be used.

The sword blade is like
The flow of a mountain stream.
I admire them on a transparent summer morning.

Have you ever touched a samurai sword and felt at hand not cold steel, but a hot, living flow of energy? As if this blade contains the soul of the master who made it, and the emotions of the warriors who pulled it out of its sheath to protect the honor of the samurai.
Katana came into use Japanese warriors approximately in the XII-XIII century and over the centuries since then, its design has not changed much. The sword fell into the hands of the samurai already spiritualized, it takes years to make it.
Each generation of masters brought their own nuances to the manufacture of katana.
Today, swords of 4 eras are distinguished:

  1. Kato (made before the 16th century inclusive);
  2. Shinto (17th century);
  3. Shinshinto (late 18th-early 19th century);
  4. modern Gendaito.
Swords differ both in the texture and color of the blade, and in properties. The katanas of the Kato era have dark gray blades; the best examples have the metal polished to a velvety matte finish. The steel of Shinto and Shinshinto swords is lighter and brighter.
The reason for this difference is not that the traditions of the Kato masters were lost, but that other raw materials were used to produce swords of later eras, affecting fighting qualities weapons. For example, modern katanas and Shinshinto swords easily cut bamboo bundles, while Shinto blades crumble and Kato crumple.


Metal production
The metal from which the ancient katana is made has a unique layered structure. There are several technologies for obtaining high-quality weapon steel for katana.
The first way to make steel
iron ore, rich in impurities of tungsten and molybdenum, was mined from satetsu sand. The resulting raw material was burned, cut into crumbs and burned again. This process saturated iron with carbon, turning it into raw steel - oroshigane. To separate high-quality steel from metal weakened by the presence of slags, oroshigane was forged, cooled in water and crushed, easily breaking out slagged pieces. Great importance had water quality, so most forges were located near mountain rivers and springs. Since the raw steel was not homogeneous enough, it was forged and welded several times until a high-quality pure steel was obtained.
The second way to make steel

Another method of obtaining steel appeared in Manchuria and was actively used by Japanese craftsmen at the end of the 14th century. It consisted in the long-term smelting of iron ore in Tatar furnaces. The process was labor-intensive, expensive, but effective: to obtain 5 tons of smelted metal, called kera, it took several days and more than a dozen tons of coal. Almost half of the kera is steel with a 1.5 percent carbon content. The rest was a conglomeration of several metals, including zuku cast iron.
Before becoming a weapon steel, the metal had to pass one more test - the test of time. The workpiece was buried in moist soil near volcanoes and geysers, and in a few years the rust had eaten away the “weak” parts of the metal.
Metal processing: carbon reduction
From the carbon-enriched steel obtained by one of the indicated methods, a blank was made for the future blade. At the same time, it was necessary to reduce the saturation of steel with carbon, since its content of more than 0.8% makes the metal hard, but brittle after hardening.
Carbon was burned out directly from the blank of the blade in stages. Raw steel was forged into a plate, cooled in water and split. The resulting pieces were sorted and laid out on a spatula made of iron or raw steel, fixed with clay and forged at high temperature. The resulting bar was folded in half, notched across, welded, then folded in half again, this time notched along and welded again.
Several such cycles were carried out, up to 15. With each such doubling, the carbon content decreased: after the first stage by 0.3%, after each subsequent stage by 0.03%. Thus, it was possible to quite accurately catch the moment when the level of hydrogen in the steel decreased to the desired 0.8%. What will be the final composition of the steel, each master decided for himself: someone preferred to work with a strong, but softer metal, and someone was interested in hardness, even if the blade became very brittle.
Each doubling step added new layers to the workpiece. From a mathematical point of view, there should be millions of them, but since the molecules of the thinnest plates were mixed during the welding process, in reality, several thousand layers were obtained.
Techniques of various weapons schools
Each of the more than 1,800 weapons schools had their own secrets for forging blades from the resulting high quality steel. But at the same time, each master followed the same rule for all: the blade of a long sword should be hard, and the rest of the parts should be strong, but softer.
Most craftsmen made blades in three layers according to the san-mai scheme: a hard but brittle sharply honed blade is surrounded on both sides by softer viscous iron plates. A slightly improved technology involved wrapping a steel blade with an iron "shirt" on three sides.
In the famous province of Bizen, recognized as the weapons center of Japan, a completely opposite technological technique was used - kobu-shi. Craftsmen from Bizen used iron to make the base of the blade, which was “wrapped” with weapon steel. The blade of the blade was forged from a solid part of the steel "shirt". At the same time, it was necessary to know special methods of hardening, which would provide the blade with high elasticity without loss of hardness.

Types of Japanese blades.
Sharpening and grinding
Having made a slightly curved 60–70 cm blade 3 cm wide from the resulting steel, the master proceeded to sharpening and grinding. The katana is sharpened on only one side so that the sword can be used both in mounted and on foot battles. The shift of the center of gravity towards the tip facilitates the application of chopping blows.
The blade was also ground in stages, each time reducing the graininess of the grinding wheel (in total, 9-12 circles were used). At the last stage, the master polished the steel with his fingertips with finely ground charcoal. The appearance of a mirror shine meant the birth of the katana.
After polishing, a longitudinal line appeared on the blade - jamon, denoting the border between the matte surface of the steel blade and the mirror-shiny softer part, jigane. On the highest quality blades, jigane has a hada pattern similar to the surface of Damascus steel.

katana blade
Sometimes jamon is called a hardening line, which is not entirely true, but has a basis. If the blade was hardened using the kobushi technology, then the jamon was manifested through the use of clay. Before hardening, the part of the blade, which was supposed to maintain viscosity, was coated with clay, leaving the blade area free. The blade was heated and hardened in water. At the same time, the open part cooled down faster, acquiring the desired hardness, and the part hidden under the clay became more elastic due to the long cooling. At the junction of these areas, jamon appeared. The blade, hardened in this way, was called yaki-ba, which means burnt.
Connoisseurs call the sword of the samurai, the katana, the most perfect edged weapon that has ever been created by man.

Hello dear kenshi!

Today I would like to tell you how to make a handle yourself ( tsuka) for katana ( iaito, shinken). I was prompted to prepare this review by the need to restore my old iaito, which, for a number of reasons, lacked a handle. Making a handle to order in Russia or Japan is quite expensive and takes a lot of time and resources. So I decided to save time and money, plus check out the place where the hands grow from. 😂😂😂

In this review, I will tell you how to carve a wooden handle and prepare it for winding ( tsukamaki), which I will talk about in the next review.

Any budoka dealing iaido or battodo at least once faced with a situation where the handle katana for one reason or another fell into disrepair. Usually handle katana has two flaws - tsukamaki(winding tsukaito) and the shank attachment point katana. If rewind tsukaito- this is not quite a difficult and costly task that anyone can handle, all you need is a new cord and skill. Then with a loose shank, things are more complicated. Depending on the situation (if there is no critical damage to the integrity of the handle), this problem can also be solved by mixing sawdust with wood glue and pouring it into the hole for the shank. After that, you will need to insert the shank itself into the hole with the substance so that the substance fills all the extra cavities, and pull it out before it sticks tightly. However, this method does not always work. If the handle is cracked due to a dangling shank, then for your own safety and the safety of others, such a handle must be replaced.

Well, either someone wanted to have a front or vice versa “working” handle, then this review will also be useful for making it. And how to do it right - will be discussed further. 😏

To get started, you will need katana(unassembled). Part koshirae for tsuka, namely: habaki, seppa(2 pcs.), tsuba, footy And kashira .

The last two positions are very important, since the handle is usually machined under footy And kashira certain size. The choice of material depends on this, and specifically - its dimensions.

Of the tools you will need: a vice, a clamp, a hacksaw, a set of files and sandpaper of different grain sizes, chisel(if you have a wood cutter, this will make the task easier), a knife, a diamond sharpener (you will need to sharpen the chisel in the process, because a dull chisel is a pain!), mallet, a set of rulers, a marker and epoxy glue.

For the preparation of the handle, it is best to use hardwood. You can use the "traditional" tree - magnolia or paulownia, however, they are quite difficult to find in Russia, and the prices bite. If the origin of your handle does not matter to you, then the most common and affordable option is Russian oak. There are several online stores that offer craft bars of various lengths and widths for sale. On average, prices range from ₽500.00 to ₽1,500.00 per bar. Personally, I saved money and used the remains of solid Italian oak parquet as a blank. 😎

N.B. A parquet board or any other puff wood is not suitable as a blank! And, probably, it is not worth mentioning that the tree must be dry!

So everything necessary materials and we have the tools. We proceed directly to the process of manufacturing the handle. Estimated production time is two days.

Before that, we need to determine the size of the handle. Dimensions are an individual thing. I can only offer to measure your "working" tsuka which is convenient to use.

I'll tell you with my own example. The length of my tsuka(together with footy And kashira) — 280 mm. Width at widest point (together with tsukaito) — 45 mm. Thickness (together with tsukaito) — 25 mm. Length tsukamaki(between footy And kashira) — 260 mm. Width tsukaito — 8 mm.

N.B. Here you need to be very careful! Since, depending on the material (cotton or silk) and tension, as well as the method of winding, the cord can be of different widths, and the number of steps (diamonds) that can be wound on the handle between futi and kashira, as well as space for the bottom node. So that there are no gaps and the knot “fits”, I advise you to look at how your “working” handle is wound, and estimate (taking into account the material) how long the handle will be required.

Having decided on the final dimensions of the future handle, we now need to determine the dimensions of the workpiece. Of course, the wooden handle itself is under samegawa(stingray skin) and tsukamaki much smaller sizes, which I indicated (except for the length). But, it seems to me, you should not take the workpiece completely back to back, since working with hard wood involves certain level skill. Therefore, in the absence of it, production flaws often occur (somewhere they planed too much). If you take the workpiece slightly larger than the dimensions of the handle assembly, then in case of errors there will be more space for maneuver.

For my handle, I took two bars as a blank, each of which is long ~300 mm, height ~50 mm, width ~25 mm(see photo above).

Now you need to choose the most even sides (this will be needed later). Collecting katana for measurements. Tightly put on the shank habaki, seppu, tsuba and then another seppu. We place the assembled structure on one of the bars (see photo below) in the center. Draw as accurately as possible with a marker. Since usually the shank katana not quite flat, wide on one side and narrow on the other, then on the other bar we do the same mirror(turning katana). This is important, when we glue the blanks, we should get a hole for a specific shank.

N.B. I circled the shank with a thick marker (see photo above), I will cut a cavity for it inside this line. It is very important that the shank fits perfectly in the cut, otherwise it will dangle. The depth of the hole is not very important, since then it can be removed with a file.

We take a chisel in our hands and begin to plan out the groove for the shank. Make sure that at one end the gutter should be deeper than at the other. Constantly check the depth and width by applying the shank. In the end, the shank should fit perfectly into the gutter and not “walk” in it.

The end of the gutter can be made 3-5 mm longer than the length of the shank. This is necessary in case you will be adjusting the futi by grinding down the top of the handle so that the shank does not stick out of it too much when assembled and you do not have to use spacers.

N.B. I specifically do not show in the photo that it is necessary to drill holes for the mekugi, since in my case I will make a new hole (mekugi-ana) during the final assembly. If you are satisfied with the existing hole for the mekugi, then before gluing it is necessary to drill a hole in each half of the future handle. Please note that on the shank it goes at an angle. Accordingly, first mark with a drill with a smaller diameter, and after gluing it will be possible to drill to size.

When both shank grooves are ready, clamp them together in a vise to check how the shank sits in this hole.

Slide the shank in and out of the workpiece. If he enters tightly enough, but at the same time without any extra effort, and if he does not walk, then you can proceed to the next stage. If it does not enter to the end, then you should still grind the excess. If the shank walks a little, then this problem can be solved by gluing the workpiece.

The next step is preparing for gluing. Earlier I indicated that it is necessary to select the most even parts of the workpiece. This will shorten our work with the file. Now you need to first grind both halves of the future handle with a file, and then with sandpaper so that they fit evenly and tightly against each other.

So, both halves are perfectly in contact with each other. Now we are ready for gluing. I had experience gluing the handle with special wood glue. However, I think epoxy is stronger and more durable, and most importantly, easier to use. I used epoxy glue in a special package (like a syringe), which, when pressed, immediately mixes the components, giving out the substance we need at the exit.

N.B. Unfortunately, according to the instructions, we were given 5 minutes for the next stage, so there was no time for photos. Remove the koshirae from the katana in advance!

We take a "syringe" with glue and squeeze out the line " U» around the liner groove. Do not squeeze too much glue into this place, as the excess will flow inside. The part remaining below the gutter is smeared with glue abundantly.

Carefully insert the shank into the half smeared with glue, then cover with the other half.

We strongly clamp this structure in a vice in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe beginning of the gutter. The end of the workpiece is strongly compressed with a clamp. We have approximately 5 minutes to pull out the shank.

Now back to the moment "if your shank is walking". After we clamped the glued workpiece in a vice, some of the glue fell into the groove for the shank. This is fine! To avoid backlash in the future, do not immediately pull out the shank for at least a minute. When you feel that it is pulled out with difficulty, pull it out halfway and insert it back. Repeat this procedure several times within the allotted minutes. Now all the extra cavities are filled with epoxy glue. When it hardens, the shank play will disappear.

N.B. The shank must be cleaned immediately!

We leave our design to dry according to the instructions for 8 hours. This is quite enough for the workpiece to stick together “tightly”. 👌

So eight hours have passed. Our workpiece is securely seated and ready for further processing.

As you can see in the photo above, in fact, our workpiece is a bar. This bar needs to be given an oval shape. We have an axial line - this is the line for gluing the halves. it should be adhered to. We begin to grind all sides evenly, but not too much (see photo below).

In my experience, it will be more convenient to decide on the form if you attach footy to the top of the handle.

And circle footy marker. In further processing of the workpiece, it is worth adhering to this form.

At this stage, it is necessary to determine the direction of the handle, as well as adjust footy. Therefore, with the help of a chisel and a file, we grind the rim under footy.

After we fit footy and mount katana on the handle, it will be easier for us to decide on the direction where to remove excess wood.

Now the handle begins to emerge from the workpiece. It's time to think about the shape of the future tsuka. It can be straight from start to finish; it can be wider at the beginning and narrower at the end; it can be tapered in the middle, like an hourglass (I personally prefer this shape). Having decided on the form, we should outline this form on the workpiece. In the photo below you can see a slight bend at the top of the handle. Having done the same from below, we get the shape we need.

The handle should not be thicker (wider) than the edge footy And kashira. Since stripes will be located on the sides in the future samegawa, and then tsukamaki. All this will give us the thickness we need, so feel free to cut off all the excess.

N.B. Tsukamaki should be on par with futi and kashira!

Before moving on to finishing the handle, we need to place kashira at the end of the handle. Fitting the tip of the handle kashira. At kashira there are two holes for the final node tsukamaki. However, these openings are currently unavailable. Our job is to make them accessible. To do this, we need a round file and a little patience. Clamp the handle vertically in a vise. We put on kashira on her. We mark the place for the hole on both sides. And we make a hole, as shown in the photo below.

As a result, we should get something like this (see photo below), when kashira put on the handle.

Having collected footy And kashira, we bring our handle with a file and sandpaper to finishing. It is imperative that the sides of the handle are flat enough to accommodate samegawa.

As a result, we got tsuka according to our sizes for our katana, which is ready for finishing winding ( tsukamaki), which I will tell you in the next review.

Stay tuned! 😎

This review (text and photos) was prepared by Bragin Andrey Evgenievich, especially for Moscow kendo and iaido club Shogun.

The production of a katana consists of many stages and can take up to several months. At the beginning, pieces of tamahagane steel are stacked together, poured with a clay solution and sprinkled with ash. This is necessary to remove slag from the metal, which, during melting, comes out of it and is absorbed by clay and ash. After that, the pieces of steel are heated to let them connect with each other. Then the resulting block is forged with a hammer: it is flattened and folded, then flattened again and folded again - and so the number of layers is doubled (with 10 folding 1024 layers, with 20 - 1048576) Thus, carbon is distributed evenly in the workpiece, due to which the hardness of the blade in each of its area will be the same. Further, softer steel must be added to the tamahagane block so that the blade does not break under high dynamic loads. During the forging process, which lasts for several days, the block is stretched in length and the structure of the blade and its original shape are created by composing strips with different hardness. After that, a layer of liquid clay is applied to the future blade - to prevent overheating and oxidation. During the hardening process, subject to technological process, between the yakiba (hard part with a cutting edge) and hiraji (softer and more flexible part), a jamon is formed. This pattern takes its final form at the moment of tempering the sword and appears in the process of polishing. Jamon, unlike the zone hardening line, is a material at the junction of two steels, from which the blade is forged, showing how well the creator of the katana is skilled. This is followed by hardening: the blade is heated to a temperature strictly dependent on the metal that is used for forging and cools rapidly, as a result of which the atomic structure of one of the composites passes into the state of martensite, and cutting edge becomes extremely hard. After that, a long process of giving the blade its final shape, sharpening and polishing is carried out, which the polisher carries out using stones of various grain sizes (up to 9 steps). At the same time, the master pays special attention to achieving perfectly flat surfaces and strict angles of the edges between the mating surfaces. At the end of the sharpening, the master works with very small plate stones, which he holds with one or two fingers, or with special boards. With special care, the manifestation of all the details and features of the hud is carried out. In some cases, especially by modern craftsmen, the non-hardened parts of the blade are engraved with a decorative character, mainly of a Buddhist theme. After polishing and decorating the handle, which takes a few more days, the katana is ready.

Steel

By tradition, Japanese swords are made from refined steel. The process of their manufacture is unique in its "tradition" (according to Pseudo-Aristotle, it was with such raw materials that the inventors of iron metallurgy - Khalibs dealt) and is due to the use of ferruginous sand, which is cleaned under the influence high temperatures to obtain iron with higher purity. Steel is mined from iron sand. Previously, the process took place in the Tatara oven (rectangular cheese oven). The composition of the crack obtained from the sands is heterogeneous, the proportion of carbon in it varies from 0.6 to 1.5%. For a sword, steel with a constant percentage of carbon is required (approximately 0.6-0.7%). In order to completely clean the metal and achieve the required and uniform carbon content in it, a special folding technique was created, the high efficiency of which is comparable to its labor intensity. A feature of iron sand is the low content of sulfur and phosphorus, which contribute to segregation (violation of the crystal structure of steel) and therefore are undesirable. For the same reason, low-sulfur charcoal is used during forging.

First, the steel fragments are forged into ingots, which in turn are heated, folded in length and width, and again returned to their previous shape by forging.

During forging, steel burns out, as a result of which the metal loses weight. At the same time, the share of carbon decreases due to oxidation. To control these processes, ingots with different carbon content are combined during forging. After repeated addition of steel, numerous thinnest layers are formed, which, after special polishing and sharpening, become noticeable on the surface of the blade.

This technique serves exclusively to clean the steel, to achieve a uniform structure and to control the carbon content. The opinion that good katana should consist of as many layers of steel as possible, erroneously. Depending on the quality of the tamahagane and the desired percentage of carbon, the ingot is reforged 10 to 20 times. The blacksmith (like Kanenobu or someone of his kind) repeats the cycle as many times as necessary to obtain a homogeneous ingot with the required characteristics. Excessive stretching of this process softens the steel and leads to further loss of metal due to waste.

Factory-made Japanese swords from World War II typically contain 95.22 to 98.12% iron and 1.5% carbon, making the steel very hard. Additionally, it contains a certain amount of silicon, which gives the blade high flexibility and high impact strength. Copper, manganese, tungsten, molybdenum, and occasional inclusions of titanium may be present in moderate amounts (depending on where the raw material is mined).

Not all steel is suitable for making a sword. The original forged sword is made, unlike cheap copies, not from 440A stainless steel, that is, tool steel obtained by rolling, having a Rockwell hardness of 56 HRC and unsuitable as a material for katana. In addition, a genuine sword does not have a wave-like sharpening, engraving or etching that imitates jamon. The degree of hardness inherent in the originals is achieved only through special processing of the metal. During forging, the crystal structure of the steel is also formed. Hardening of the cutting side to 62 HRC together with elasticity guarantees the high quality of Japanese blades. Due to its high hardness (60-62 HRC), the sword retains its sharpness for a long time. Exceptional cutting ability in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the blade (as opposed to cutting in the longitudinal direction - like a saw that moves along its longitudinal axis), the principle of which is also involved in the shaving process, that is, when the blade moves at a right angle strictly perpendicular to its plane , is due to the use of pure iron carbide, due to which, when sharpening, a very thin blade is achieved without notches. Iron carbide is usually formed in rusting steel, while high-tech stainless steel does not give such a smooth blade without serrations. However, these microscopic serrations make the blade look like a miniature saw, which is an advantage for such a weapon, provided that the appropriate fighting technique is used. Already the Vikings in the era early medieval skillfully mastered the technique of multilayer forging of steel for swords; in use were very spectacular Damascus blades, which in shape had nothing to do with Japanese ones. Franks also produced good steel, which did not need to be folded to achieve uniformity. In terms of the technological steelmaking and forging process, aimed at the required properties of the material, and the features of surface treatment, Japanese steel products did not resemble European ones, which was due to fundamentally different combat techniques and differences in the design of armor.

hardening

Just like the Western blacksmiths of the Middle Ages, who used zone hardening, Japanese masters harden their blades not evenly, but differentially. Quite often, the blade is initially straight and gets a characteristic curve as a result of hardening, giving the blade a hardness of 60 HRC, and the back of the sword - only 40 HRC. Hardening is based on a change in the crystal structure of steel: due to the rapid cooling of the hot metal (usually in a water bath), austenite turns into martensite, which has a larger volume. Because of this, the cutting part of the sword is stretched and the sword is bent. A curved sword has the advantage that it cuts better and delivers a more effective strike. Therefore, this type has become widespread.

Before hardening, the sword is covered with a mixture of clay and coal powder (other ingredients may be contained). A thinner layer is applied to the cutting edge than to other parts of the blade. For hardening, the blade heats up more than the back. It is important that, despite the temperature difference (for example, 750-850 degrees C), the sword in cross section and back side heated evenly. During cooling in warm water a blade that is hotter than the rest of the blade cools faster and has a higher martensite content than the rest of the blade. The boundary of this narrow zone (hamon) is clearly visible after the sword has been hardened and polished. It is not a line, but a rather wide zone (here the yakiba (“burnt blade”) is confused - the actually hardened part of the blade, and the jamon - a narrow line separating the hardened part from the unhardened part).

Some master blacksmiths give the jamon a more intricate shape by applying the clay in waves, irregularly, or in narrow oblique lines. The drawing of the jamon obtained in this way serves to identify the belonging of the sword blade to a particular blacksmithing school, but, as a rule, is not an indicator of quality. You can meet blades very High Quality with a straight, no more than a millimeter wide jamon, as well as specimens with a very wavy pattern, which are considered rough work, and vice versa. Jamon with many narrow "waves" forms narrow elastic areas (ashi) in the sword that prevent the spread of cracks in the metal. However, in the event of a transverse crack, the sword becomes unusable.

By changing the duration and temperature of heating prior to cooling, the blacksmith can also achieve other effects on the surface of the sword (for example, nie and nioi - characteristic martensite formations of various sizes).

Hardening (heating and cooling) is followed by tempering - heating the hardened product in a furnace, followed by slow cooling. At a temperature of about 200 degrees C, internal stresses in the metal are relieved, due to which the necessary balance of hardness and toughness is achieved.

Heat treatment is a very delicate step in the production of katana, and even an experienced master blacksmith can fail here. In this case, the sword is re-tempered and released. However, the process can only be repeated a limited number of times: if all attempts fail, the blade is considered defective.

Polishing

After completing his part of the work, which also includes surface treatment with a sen tool that looks like a metal scraper, the blacksmith hands over the sword to the polisher - togishi. His task is to sharpen and polish the blade - first with rough stones, then with finer ones. Work on one blade at this stage lasts approximately 120 hours. Togishi not only sharpens the sword, but also uses various techniques to highlight the metal structure on the surface of the blade, jamon, and hada, which are the “skin” of the product and give an idea of ​​the forging technique. At the same time, it is possible to eliminate minor flaws that have arisen during the manufacturing process.

Above the fighting qualities of the sword today, the quality of steel and aesthetic properties are valued, which are achieved only through technologically correct polishing. At the same time, the shape and geometry of the sword, which the blacksmith gave it, must be completely preserved. Therefore, the craft of a polisher also implies an exact knowledge of the style of a particular blacksmith, as well as blacksmith schools of past centuries.

Katana - long slightly curved two-handed sword, invented and made for the first time in Japan. He was one of the weapons of the samurai. Later in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill, the katana began to excite many. How to do it yourself katana ?

You will need

  • An anvil, iron sand (special black sand from the coast of Japan, from which iron is smelted), hammer, smelter, charcoal, forge, sandstone powder, water, clay, rice straw, as well as grinding and polishing tools for processing the resulting steel. If you managed to find all this, then let's proceed to the very manufacture of the sword.

Instruction

1. Immerse the charcoal, light it, place the sand in the smelter and at a temperature of 1500 degrees, smelt about four kilograms of steel. Divide the resulting metal into a little - and high-carbon iron. Mild iron is gray-black in color. Place small and large pieces of charcoal at the bottom of the forge, then set it on fire. After that, put high-carbon iron in the forge and also sprinkle some charcoal.

2. Later, spread rice straw ash and pre-crushed charcoal on the bottom of the hearth, place a layer of high-carbon steel and cover it all with charcoal. After that, start pumping the furs rapidly until there is only iron left in the forge. Carefully remove the pieces of steel and begin to forge flat sheets from them. Make sure that they are no more than five millimeters in thickness. Divide iron into high- and low-carbon iron.

3. Place pieces of high-carbon steel on a steel blank with a handle, wrap in paper and apply clay. After that, put it all in the forge and fill it with coal. Heat for approximately 30 minutes until white color. Remove the resulting block, put it on the anvil and hit it with a hammer several times. After that, put it back in the forge, heat it up perfectly and again hit it several times with a hammer. Repeat this procedure five to six times.

4. You have iron, which is called "kawagane". Take the low-carbon iron that you have previously set aside, make a bar out of it by forging, and then roll and forge it 9-10 more times. You have now received the shingane iron.

5. The next step is to prepare the blade. Split the bar and forge a rectangular plate out of it. By stretching the plate perpendicular to the length, you will give the blade the desired shape. File the shank of the blade. The process of making a katana, complete in the following way. From a pair of wood blocks, make a handle, which is first wrapped in leather, and then with a cotton cord.

The aura that surrounds the mythical samurai sword - the katana, has maintained interest and admiration for this type of weapon for more than one hundred years. Katana is a strong, light and elastic sword. It becomes so due to the special materials from which it is forged, the special forging technique and, according to legend, the true heart of the master.

You will need

  • iron sand
  • foundry
  • Hammer
  • Anvil
  • rice straw
  • Clay
  • sandstone powder
  • Tools for grinding and polishing steel

Instruction

1. In order to forge a true katana, you need to stock up on special "black sand" from the Japanese coast. These are ferruginous sands from which you have to smelt tamahagane - the traditional Japanese iron used to forge samurai swords.

2. Load the ore sand into the smelter - Tatara - and smelt about 4 kilograms of steel on charcoal. The temperature in the melting furnace must reach 1,500 degrees Celsius.

3. Sort iron into low carbon and high carbon. The high-carbon tamahagane is heavier, clear silver in color. Low-carbon - coarser, gray-black.

4. Coat the bottom of the blacksmith's forge with crushed charcoal, add huge chunks of charcoal, and set them on fire. Lay a layer of mild steel and backfill with a layer of charcoal. Wait until the iron sinks to the bottom of the forge.

5. Cover the bottom of the hearth with rice straw ash, half with powdered charcoal, lay a layer of high-carbon steel in a slide, pour charcoal on top. Start actively pumping mechs. Wait until only iron remains in the forge.

6. Take pieces of tamahagane and start forging them into flat sheets half a centimeter thick. Cool the sheets in water and break into 2 square centimeter plates. Sort iron into high carbon and low carbon.

7. Take selected pieces of high carbon steel, lay on a steel plate with a handle. Wrap with paper and coat with clay. Place in the forge. Cover with charcoal and heat for at least thirty minutes until clear yellow or white.

8. Remove the block from the forge, place it on the anvils and siege with a hammer. Re-place in the forge, heat and forge. Repeat this cycle several times.

9. When your block is ready, poke it with a chisel and roll it over. Heat again and hammer until the top and bottom halves fuse and the bar returns to its original length. Repeat this cycle six times.

10. Before continuing forging, cut the bar into four equal parts. Stack them one on top of the other and weld them together by heating and forging. Repeat folding, heating and forging six more times. You've got kawagane iron.

11. Take the low-carbon iron you set aside, forge a bar out of it, and then roll and forge it ten more times. You have a "shingane" or core iron.

12. Forge a flat plate 40 centimeters long from kawagane, fold it into a U shape. Place a block of shingane inside this plate. Heat the workpiece in the forge to a clear yellow color and begin to forge. Achieve complete welding of the plates together.

13. Make a blank for the blade by heating a block in a forge and forging a rectangular blank out of it. Shape the blade by stretching the blank perpendicular to the length. Form the cutting edge, point, side ribs and butt.

14. With the support of a scraper knife, finish the surface of the sword. File the butt and the cutting edge. Using a carborundum stone, pre-grind each blade.

15. Prepare a sticky clay mixture of clay, crushed charcoal and sandstone powder in equal proportions. Dilute with water and apply with a spatula to the cutting edge. A thick layer along the butt and on the side surfaces and a hefty thin layer along the very edge. Wait until the clay hardens. Heat the blade in the forge to 700 degrees Celsius and cool in a container of water.

16. Adjust the curve of the blade and polish it.

17. File the shank of the blade.

18. Finish the production of the katana by making a handle out of 2 halves of wood wrapped first with leather and then with cotton cord.

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Useful advice
It is possible to learn the art of making an ordinary katana extraordinarily personally from a genuine master. There are a lot of subtleties and secrets that are transmitted only from teacher to student.

A real katana, being a samurai weapon, is made from certain types of iron, forged in several layers. But modern katanas, as usual, are forged from spring steel. Consequently, the sharpening of Japanese remake swords has its own characteristics.

You will need

  • - katana;
  • - stones for sharpening;
  • - electric emery;
  • - marker;
  • - protective glasses.

Instruction

1. Take the sword in your hands and mentally divide the blade into three parts. The upper part will require especially sharp sharpening (it will cut), the middle part will require sharpening at a huge angle (it will be loaded upon impact) and, finally, the lower part, which is closest to the guard, is sharpened minimally (it really is not loaded) . Mark these parts with a marker.

2. First, make the blade a minimum sharpening. To do this, turn on the electric emery, put on goggles, wait about one minute until it is completely unrolled, and bring the tip of the sword perpendicular to it. With a slight movement, without pressing the blade firmly against the emery disk, pass the sword from right to left, then tip it over and move it from left to right. Repeat the procedure until you can clearly feel your finger on the cutting edge. sharp corner. The same result can be achieved by driving a grindstone along the blade, but it will take much more time and effort.

3. Now sharpen the top of the blade. Bring it up again katana to the emery, lay the blade flat on the disc. Tilt it so that the cutting edge lightly touches the spinning disc. Move the blade from left to right and right to left from the tip to the mark of its middle part. This will reduce the sharpening angle.

4. Sharpen the middle part of the blade. The sharpening angle should be 40-45°. Drive the blade along the sandpaper, pressing it firmly against it - from the middle part mark to the bottom mark as described above, until you achieve the desired sharpening angle. Do the same with bottom blade. Here the sharpness of sharpening is not so significant, therefore, an angle of 50 ° will be enough (but no one forbids you to make it smaller). The sharpening of the lower part should end 2-3 cm from the guard (it will be difficult to sharpen further, and it is easy to peel off the guard).

5. Now bring the sword to the required sharpness with whetstones. First, evenly run them along each length of the blade in order to remove the allowable irregularities. After that, purposefully sharpen each part separately, starting from the bottom, with steep short movements.

Note!
The smaller the angle of sharpening, the smaller the strength of the blade. To cut hard materials, huge taper angles are needed, and to cut soft materials, the taper angle must be much smaller.

Useful advice
Later, cutting on swords on your blade will inevitably leave notches (for its safety, it is better to beat off enemy weapons with the flat side of the blade), so repeat the sharpening procedure with whetstones later than the entire battle or once a week.

The katana is a long, two-handed, curved sword with one sharp edge. Along with the wakizashi short sword and the auxiliary tanto dagger, she was part of the core set of weapons of the Japanese samurai. The katana was the soul of a warrior, a jewel, a family heirloom, and even a philosophy. Today, Japanese culture and martial arts extremely famous in Russia, consequently samurai swords are in great demand. Knowing to positively prefer the katana is also an art that needs to be learned.

Instruction

1. Decide for what purpose you want to buy katana. The size of the sword, equipment and even material will depend on this.

2. If you need a sword for training, get a bokken - a wooden model of a katana. Bokken must withstand powerful impacts, therefore it is made of hardwoods (beech, oak, hornbeam) and impregnated with varnish or resin to increase density. With intense training, the sword will last 1-2 years. In Japan, bokken are treated with about the same respect as real katanas.

3. If you choose to train with a real sword, pay the main attention when choosing a katana not to decor, but to size and shape. Take the sword in hand: it should be comfortable and nice to hold it. The length of the katana varies from 95 to 120 cm. In order to positively choose the length of the sword for yourself, stand up straight and take it by the base of the blade near the round guard (tsuba). The tip of the blade should actually touch the floor. The length of the handle of the katana (tsuka) should be approximately three of your fists (about 30 cm on average).

4. When purchasing a weapon as a present, as an interior decoration, give preference to a set of 2 swords (katana and wakizashi) or 3 (katana, wakizashi and tanto). It will look more significant and rich. Unlike European sabers, daggers and swords, Japanese katanas are not hung on the wall, so you will certainly get a special stand.

5. In order for the katana to take its well-deserved place in the interior, take care of the accessories. A distinctive feature of samurai swords is the ability to disassemble them into combined parts. From the fact that the handle was usually made of wood and covered with leather or fabric, it quickly wore out and needed to be replaced. Choosing katana, purchase an accessory kit for her frame (soroi-mono). It includes tsuba (guard), menuki (handle ornaments), kashira, and fuchi (handle head and sleeve).

6. Remember that a samurai sword, like any other weapon, must be positively looked after. Be sure to purchase a special katana care kit. It includes natural stone powder for polishing, rice paper for cleaning, oil for lubricating the blade, as well as mekugitsuchi, a tool for extracting wooden nails (mekugi) that fasten the handle.

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Note!
If you want to buy a katana as a present not as a piece of furniture, but for martial arts, be sure to come to the store together with the future owner. Of course, there will be no surprise, but only the warrior himself will be able to determine whether the sword has a positive length and whether it will be convenient to work with it.

The Japanese katana sword is created within a few months. The process is so difficult because the weapon must be sharp, strong and not brittle at the same time. In order to achieve this, craftsmen combine several types of metal in one blade. If you choose to draw katana and if you want the drawing to be believable, consider the features of the device of this weapon.

You will need

  • - pencil;
  • - paper;
  • - eraser;
  • - paints / colored pencils.

Instruction

1. Draw a straight line. It will serve as the basis for the essay. If there are other objects or people in the picture besides the katana, determine their proportional relationship. Consider the length of the weapon - about 70-100 cm.

2. Divide the line into three equal parts. The top line indicates the length of the handle. From the fact that the sword should be curved, slightly bend the drawn segment. The most "convex" point is located in the middle of the segment.

3. Mark the width of the katana. The width of the blade is about 30 times less than the overall length of the weapon. Make the handle slightly wider than the blade. The edge of the blade should be beveled - "cut off" the end of the sword at an angle of 45 °.

4. Draw a guard on the border of the handle and blade. This is a metal nozzle that guards the warrior's hand. Its diameter is on average 8 cm, and its thickness is 5 mm. You can choose the shape of the guard as you wish - it can be round, oval, quadrangular, polygonal, divided into parts. On the surface of this part of the katana, it is allowed to depict carving or edging with non-ferrous metals. Above and below the guard is attached with washers - draw them in the form of thin strips.

5. Draw a strip under and above the guard, make the top more tight. These are couplings made of brass or bronze.

6. Delete the auxiliary construction lines and draw in detail the surface of all parts of the katana. It is allowed to make a watercolor background in advance, and add pencil strokes to the dried paint.

7. The handle of the katana should be covered with leather. It is wrapped with tape on top. Think of a winding pattern or copy it from a photograph of a genuine weapon. Between the turns of the braid it is allowed to add three-dimensional decorative elements. Closer to the guard, draw a small pin with which the handle is attached to the blade.

8. A katana blade can be made from one or more metals. The most solid specimens are made of strong metal along the edges and more soft metal in the center of the blade. Draw the boundaries of these "layers". When cutting the blade, determine where the light source is, and mark the highlights and shadows on the blade.

9. Draw the sheath for the katana in the form of a curved rectangle. In its upper part there should be a cord threaded into a loop.

Japanese weapons have long since won fame in every world. The katana long sword even got into the Russian weapons state standards of edged weapons, where it was called a two-handed saber. A well-made katana seems to be solid, but in fact it can be taken apart. For example, it is recommended to disassemble it during transportation. You may also need to replace the handle. In addition, collectors are often allowed to see individual parts of this sword.

You will need

  • - a small hammer;
  • - brass tongue:
  • - gloves.

Instruction

1. The scabbard is an integral part of the katana. In Japan, they were most often made from stingray skin. Now this material is used mainly in expensive models, and for the rest, the scabbard is made of any kind of leather, including unnatural. Katana in the scabbard, they are traditionally placed behind the obi belt. This fashion originated in the 17th century and has survived to this day. Before removing the hilt, remove the sword from its scabbard.

2. The tsuka (handle) of a cool katana is attached with the help of one or more pins - mekugi (in a different transliteration - mekugi). The pins were usually made of bamboo and were not glued. Now mekugi is made from other materials, and for inexpensive models, the handle parts are repeatedly put on glue. It is consequently that when buying a katana, you need to ask the seller to disassemble it. Put on gloves before removing the handle. It is allowed to do with one - on the hand with which you will hold the blade.

3. Lay the katana on a horizontal surface. If you are not too sure that the pins will come out easily, you can carefully fix the sword in a vise. But usually this is not done. Attach the brass tongue with the tip to the pin. Carefully hitting the head of the brass part with a hammer, knock it out. That's right, knock out the rest of the mekugi in the same way. It is rare when it is larger than 3 pins, traditionally one or two are enough. Set the mekugi aside or in a small box so they don't get lost. Tsuku was usually made from magnolia wood. Now often different plastics are used.

4. With a gloved hand, take the sword by the blade next to the guard. Pull the handle firmly. It must be removed from the shank, the one called nakago, with some effort. Remove the futi sleeve located between the handle and guard.

5. The next piece to be removed from the cutter is the seppa, the original washer, which makes the joint stronger and prevents the handle from splitting. It is true that the same seppa is located on the other side of the guard.

6. Remove the guard, which is called a tsuba in a katana. Later, it remains to remove another washer and another clutch, which is called habaki. Occasionally it is allowed to disassemble the handle by removing some decorative elements from it. But in modern working swords, these decorations are traditionally not removed.

Useful advice
Short japanese sword understands similarly and with the help of the same simple devices. The hammer doesn't have to be huge. They do not need to knock powerfully, brass is a rather soft material, and the tongue can be deformed. Katana care items can be purchased at the same store as the sword itself.

Charcoal is one of the combustion products of wood. Black porous substance, which is composed of carbon and hydrogen with a small number of mineral impurities in the form of carbonates and oxides of various metals.

You will need

  • - wood to be turned into charcoal
  • - wood for the fire
  • - steel container
  • - scoop

Instruction

1. Charcoal is obtained by thermal decomposition of wood without air flow. This process is called pyrolysis. Depending on the combustion conditions, a product with different properties. The main parameter affecting the quality of coal is the pyrolysis temperature.

2. When wood is charred, moisture and oxygen are removed from it, leaving only combustible substances - carbon and hydrogen. The pyrometric indicators of the resulting product increase in comparison with the initial material. To purchase coal, the heating of wood must be carried out slowly, and the process temperature should be about 400 ° C. Rapid heating to high temperatures will lead to the formation of tar and volatile combustion products.

3. It is also possible to get charcoal at home by building an analogue of a charcoal furnace. For this, a steel barrel with an airtight lid is suitable. Prepare a place and firewood for a fire, as well as wood prepared for transformation into coal. Set the barrel on a stand, say, on stones or bricks. Fill your makeshift charcoal kiln with wood that has been sawn into small pieces ahead of time. Close the lid tightly. Provide small openings for combustible gases to escape. Light a fire under the barrel.

4. After a few hours, when gases stop coming out of the holes, heating is allowed to stop. But the barrel should not be opened until the resulting coal has completely cooled without air access. Otherwise, the combustion process in air can resume, and the coal will completely burn out.

5. It is allowed to easily burn firewood in a stove or in a fire until red coals form. After that, collect the coals with a scoop in an iron container, close tightly and leave without air flow until it cools completely.

Note!
Attention! When working, take precautions! Work with gloves in cool lighting.

Useful advice
Don't start making a katana until you have all the right components ready.