Author Archives: Pierre Nadeau
In preparation for tanren
Japanese traditional sword making is bound to the use of types of steels marked by ancient manufacturing processes. Without the use of such steels, it wouldn’t be the tradition anymore, and the swords wouldn’t be japanese swords. It is not … Continue reading
Posted in instructional, swordsmithing
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How to make a te-bōki
Useful hand-held straw brush and tool The te-bōki (lit. “hand-broom”) are extremely useful tools during forging to hold down hot work, brush away scale, push back hot coals, hit apprentices (!), etc. At first sight they look pretty simple, but … Continue reading
Posted in instructional, swordsmithing
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Sumi-kiri san nen…
Sumi-kiri, the elaborate cutting of charcoal by apprentices is said to take three years (san nen) to assimilate. I’m obviously a slow learner for it’s been over five years and my charcoal is far from all right. But what’s all … Continue reading
Posted in instructional, swordsmithing, uncategorized
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Making a sword pattern
A good to way to learn proper sword sugata, or silhouette, is to make a kata, or pattern, from 1.25-1.5mm thick sheet of mild steel. I bought a full sheet and cut it in about forty 5 cm wide bands … Continue reading
Posted in instructional, swordsmithing
Tagged forge de sabre, Japan, japanese sword, katana, Pierre Nadeau, sabre japonais, samurai, soulsmithing, swordsmithing
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A tour of the forge
Wishing you a truly successful new year!
Posted in instructional, swordsmithing
Tagged forge de sabre, Japan, japanese sword, katana, Pierre Nadeau, sabre japonais, samurai, soulsmithing, swordsmithing
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More than a year without updating Soulsmithing
A bit of news… It’s been over a year since I properly updated Soulsmithing. I wonder if that’s a good sign or not: I was once told that if I was actually training enough, I shouldn’t be having enough time … Continue reading
The Making of a Sword – Blog Project
The Soulsmithing Web site has been up for years now, but it’s always been my dream to publish a regular newsletter, in the continuation of Kogei, to diffuse as much information on the world of japanese swords, swordsmithing and the … Continue reading
Posted in instructional
Tagged forge de sabre, Japan, japanese sword, katana, Pierre Nadeau, sabre japonais, samurai, soulsmithing, swordsmithing
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Kiyota gets Doryoku-sho at the NBTHK 2007 forging competition!
Each year, the Nihon Bijutsu Token Hozon Kyokai (NBTHK – Society for the Preservation of the Japanese Art Sword) organizes competitions for the different fields of craftsmanship related to the Japanese Sword. Kiyota has submitted a sword almost every year … Continue reading
Posted in swordsmithing
Tagged forge de sabre, japanese sword, katana, Kiyota Jirokunietsu, sabre japonais, swordsmithing
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Kiyota joins his master’s group and goes to Lithuania for a demonstration!
For the second time, the Kawachi Ichi-mon Kai (Mukansa smith Kawachi Kunihira’s direct group of apprentices, including Kiyota) went to Lithuania this summer. This time, the group was part of a series of events on the general theme of japanese … Continue reading
Posted in swordsmithing
Tagged japanese sword, Kiyota Jirokunietsu, sabre japonais, swordsmithing
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Forging Japanese Swords
This site is a window into the world of Traditional Japanese Swordsmithing through the experience of Apprentice Pierre Nadeau and his mentors. « In the end a job is not just a job, It’s who you are If you want … Continue reading
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