Tamahagane
Tamahagane is the Japanese word for the raw material smelted primarily to manufacture Japanese swords. Tamahagane begins as iron laden sand found and smelted in few areas, only certain times a year. Shimane Prefecture is an area that accommodates the right right mix of available elements for the creation of Tamahagane in a Tatara.
Tamahagane is smelted very much the same way today as it has been for centuries. As always there are considerations taken into account. People being as close as they are to one another in Japan, the smelting process has an immediate and direct effect to the surrounding land; usually shared by farmers. So, as it goes they came to an agreement and limited the manufacturing of Tamahagane to three weeks per year in some areas.
This social contract is an understanding and mutual agreement between land users sharing their environment with a Tatara. I get the sense there are only a small handful of Tatara throughout all of Japan, so don’t think this is norm for Japanese; but it is a great example.
The Tatara, or Japanese smelter, has virtually no mechanization. Once started, the process is a 72 hour commitment on behalf of the Tatara master and his crew. They continuously shovel prepared charcoal into a huge burning oven made of clay. The main ingredient, iron sand, is usually collected from the riverbed nearby. The sand and river, of course, is the dual reason farmers and the Tatara share land.
At the end of the three day/night fire, an uneven mixture of iron, nickel, silicon, carbon and other elements is formed at the bottom of the Tatara. The clay walls are smashed and a meteor looking piece is hauled from the base. Altogether the final solid mass weighs well over a ton. It’s then processed into small pieces and distributed mostly to sword smiths in Japan.
It’s understood that Tamahagane manufactured in Japan should not leave the country for sword production purposes in other countries… although I don’t know if it’s an illegal act or not, the fact it would be mostly frowned upon is enough to enforce the unspoken rule. The only flexibility I’ve seen with this rule has been for demonstration purposes, when Japanese smiths travel to other countries.
Tamahagane is the impure base material for the Japanese sword. It’s the core element in the most famous weapon manufactured. There are many variations and practitioners outside of Japan, but in Japan it has been carefully preserved and resurrected (since WWII) to a point where many consider today’s practitioners as good any era.
Tamahagane @ February 11, 2009