Japanese Blacksmithing: Traditional Forging Methods for Knives, Swords, and Tools

Rudolf Dick

ISBN 10: 0764368516 / ISBN 13: 9780764368516

Published by Schiffer Publishing, Ltd., 2024

About this Item

2025. hardcover. . . . . . Books ship from the US and Ireland.

Seller Inventory # V9780764368516

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Japanese Blacksmithing: Traditional Forging Methods for Knives, Swords, and Tools
• Publisher: Schiffer Publishing, Ltd.
• Publication Date: 2024
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0764368516
• ISBN 13: 9780764368516
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

Discover the blacksmithing techniques used to make 10 traditional Japanese objects with insights from the artisans and rare glimpses inside their workshops.

The art of blacksmithing and steel processing didn't reach Japan until more than 1,000 years after it was developed in the Western world. It is therefore all the more astonishing to see the high culture of forging that developed in the Land of the Rising Sun within a short period of time.

This comprehensive reference book explains the traditional methods used by Japanese tool-, knife-, and swordsmiths and gives the reader a rare and unique look inside their workshops.

In these pages, readers will find

• forging methods and techniques for 10 special products—hammer, chisel, axe, hatchet, gardener's machete, sickle, fish knife, folding knife, straight razor, and Japanese sword;
• more than 150 color photographs that illustrate and explain the techniques used to create classic Japanese forged pieces;
• chapters on Japan's oldest coppersmithing facility and traditional tatara steel smelting; and
• helpful tables that detail the materials, chemistry, elements, and temperatures needed to harden, form, and manipulate the metal being forged.

This is a must-have book, not only for amateur and professional smiths, but also for all admirers of Japanese craft culture.

About the Author

Dr. Rudolf Dick studied mechanical engineering at the Technical University of Munich and received his doctorate in forming technology. He served as the managing director of Dick GmbH, Fine Tools, and retired from active business life in 2007. He lives in Deggendorf and Munich, Germany.

https://rudolfdick.com/