{"id":1772,"date":"2011-05-17T18:20:35","date_gmt":"2011-05-17T09:20:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/2011-05-17\/1772"},"modified":"2011-05-17T18:20:35","modified_gmt":"2011-05-17T09:20:35","slug":"pierre-nadeau-japanese-swordsmith","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/2011-05-17\/1772","title":{"rendered":"Pierre Nadeau, Japanese Swordsmith"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n
\nNOTE<\/b>: Images with an icon next to them have been artificially shrunk to better fit your screen; click the icon to restore them, in place, to their regular size.\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>320 sec, f<\/span>\/2.5, ISO 6400 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nPierre Nadeau<\/span>\nswordsmith\nWakayama Prefecture, Japan\n<\/div>\n\n

As I noted in last week's “A Little<\/span>\nCold-Forging Metal Work<\/a>”, I recently<\/span> visited a craftsman<\/span> in the art of\ntraditional Japanese swordmaking.<\/p>\n\n

I have no interest in swords as weapons, historical items, or even as\npieces of art (such as seen in “A Few<\/span> Japanese\nSwords of Note<\/a>”), but I find<\/span> how they're made to be facinating.\n(See this\nvideo<\/a> for a superficial<\/span> overview.)<\/p>\n\n

Later this month, Pierre, a Canadian working in Wakayama, Japan, will\ntake the test to be an officially licensed Japanese swordsmith. If he passes<\/span>, he will be only the second non-Japanese in history to do so. My\nfriend Zak\nBraverman<\/a> became acquainted with Pierre through a mutual<\/span> friend in the\nJapanese arts, and kindly invited me and St\u00e9phane Barbery<\/a> to tag\nalong on a visit.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

Pierre maintains his web site, SoulSmithing.com<\/a> about his craft,\nin French, English, and Japanese.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 14-24mm f\/2.8 @ 14mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>50 sec, f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 1400 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nPierre's Smithy<\/span>\nmuch brighter in this photo than in actual life\n<\/div>\n\n

Pierre's smithy was, as one might imagine, dark and dirty. The only light<\/span> was from the windows,\na single<\/span> incandescent bulb, and the glow of a fire<\/span> and 1000° metal...<\/p>\n\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>160 sec, f<\/span>\/2.5, ISO 6400 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nGlowing Hot<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 @ 26mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>100 sec, f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 5600 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nBasic Instruction<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

Pierre was showing some basic hot-metal techniques to a visiting<\/span>\ncold-metal smith, so he wasn't using his “real” forge, but\nrather a quick<\/span>-and-dirty forge he made out of an old cooking-oil tub and\ncement. He was also<\/span> using coke<\/a> (the\n“pre-washed jeans” version of coal) for fuel instead of\ncharcoal, for the same quick-and-dirty reasons.<\/p>\n\n

Here's a photo of what his immediate work area looks like from his point of view...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 14-24mm f\/2.8 @ 14mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>50 sec, f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 720 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

... and some markup to show what's what...<\/p>\n\n

<\/div>\n\n

The real forge is basically a narrow brick-lined pit in the ground, with\na bellows<\/span> to feed fresh air from underneath. The quick-n-dirty forge is like\na simple<\/span> BBQ (though a cement<\/span>-lined BBQ) with a little<\/span> electric blower. For fuel he<\/span> can use coal, coke, or charcoal. Only charcoal is used for the real stuff, but\nfor quick-and-dirty smithing (say, when he's making farm tools on order) he'll\nuse coke, because it's much cheaper and easier to work with.<\/p>\n\n

You can see his real forge in action a bit<\/span> in the video at the bottom of\nthis page on his site<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

Notice that one removes their shoes before stopping up into the working\narea. It's a wonderful<\/span> (and wonderfully Japanese) aesthetic to maintain an\narea of clean (physical and mental) amidst such harsh and gritty\nsurroundings.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 14-24mm f\/2.8 @ 14mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>50 sec, f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 900 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nPretending<\/span>\nI'm holding a hammer in my left hand, camera in the right\n<\/div>\n\n

Anyway, Pierre was showing the cold-metal guy the basics of shaping a sword,<\/span> using an old hunk of flat scrap metal as a base.<\/span>..<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 @ 60mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>100 sec, f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 4500 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 @ 66mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>100 sec, f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 5000 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nPounding<\/span>\nusing a mechanized helping hand\n<\/div>\n\n

He makes many of his own tools, such as the little straw brush he's using above. He has a<\/span> blog post on how to make them<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 @ 42mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>80 sec, f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 6400 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

The phrase “strike while the iron's hot” came to life when his\nmechanical pounder thingie slipped a belt,<\/span> leaving Pierre in a lurch<\/span> with\nsome iron that needed to be struck in a particular<\/span> way before it cooled.\nWithout missing a beat,<\/span> he instructed that someone should grab a sledge<\/span>\nhammer while he prepared the steel on the anvil...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f\/2.8 @ 24mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>80 sec, f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 6400 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nStriking the Critical Blow<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>200 sec, f<\/span>\/2.5, ISO 6400 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nAbout To Lop Off a Wedge<\/span><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

They didn't actually lop anything off, but rather, with some heavy blows\nfrom the sledgehammer onto the well-placed pointed hammer, indented the hot\nmetal it enough so that with some quick but judicious hammering, he could\nbend back a wedge<\/span> at the dent enough to weaken the fold, thereby allowing\nit to be eventually broken off. It all has<\/span> to happen quickly, before the\nmetal cools.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>160 sec, f<\/span>\/2.5, ISO 6400 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nThe Result<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

Of course, when you're taking pictures, you want to see flying sparks and dancing flames...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>160 sec, f<\/span>\/2.5, ISO 6400 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nStoking the Forge<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

Pierre then went to work on the little slug of pewter as seen in the cold-smithing\npost<\/a>, while the cold-smither gave his hand a try<\/span> at shaping the rough\nknife blank into something that resembled a knife.<\/span> This involved many\ncycles of first heating it to glowing in the forge, then a lot<\/span> of smashing\non a wet<\/span> anvil...<\/p>\n\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>40 sec, f<\/span>\/2.5, ISO 250 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n
Desktop-Background Versions<\/b>\n\n\nStandard: 1024×<\/span>768<\/a>  ·  1440×<\/span>1080<\/a>  ·  1600×<\/span>1200<\/a><\/small>     <\/span>\nWidescreen:  1280×<\/span>800<\/a>  ·  1680×<\/span>1050<\/a>  ·  1920×<\/span>1200<\/a>  ·  2560×<\/span>1600<\/a><\/small><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>40 sec, f<\/span>\/2.5, ISO 1800 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n
Vertical Desktop-Background Versions<\/b>\n\n\n1050×<\/span>1680<\/a>  ·  1200×<\/span>1920<\/a>  ·  1600×<\/span>2560<\/a><\/small><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Pierre's native language is French, which I suppose<\/span> he doesn't get to\nuse much in Japan (his smithy in the middle of nowhere, an hour from\nanywhere), so he seemed quite happy to chat with St\u00e9phane...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f\/2 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>320 sec, f<\/span>\/4, ISO 6400 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nSt\u00e9phane and Pierre<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

That evening, we all went out to perhaps the only restaurant in the town, for a really<\/span> great meal....<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>60 sec, f<\/span>\/2.5, ISO 900 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nThumbs Up<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

Right to left: the cold-metal worker Inamura-san, his friend Sawada-san, St\u00e9phane, Zak, Me, Pierre.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As I noted in last week's \"A Little Cold-Forging Metal Work\", I recently visited a craftsman in the art of traditional Japanese swordmaking.<\/p>

I have no interest in swords as weapons, historical items, or even as pieces of art (such as seen in \"A Few Japanese Swords of Note\"), but I find how they're made to be facinating. (See this video for a superficial overview.)<\/p>

Later this month, Pierre, a Canadian working in Wakayama, Japan, will take the test to be an officially licensed Japanese swordsmith. If he passes, he will be only the second non-Japanese in history to do [...]","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,1,2,6,25],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1772"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1772"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1772\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1772"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1772"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1772"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}