It is an absolutely necessary tool in Japanese wooden architecture and was often used in the Nara period.
In Miki, it is recorded that there was a chisel smith during the Bunsei era (around 1800).
All 14 manufacturing processes such as forge welding of steel and iron-forging-quenching-mud coating-shaping are done by the reliable skill of long-time craftsmen.
It can be said that it is utilized by reliable tools.
1Raw materials
Hard and soft steels preparation cutting each one to the required size.
2Forge welding
Joinning soft and hard steel by appling a bonding agent to iron and heat it to a high temperature (1000 to 1100℃), and hit those with a mallet to bond them.
3Forging (forging)
Heat the steel to heat (800-900℃) and forge it with a mallet to form a shape.
4Annealing
The structure of steel disordered by forge welding and forging is placed in a furnace heated to 750℃ and slowly cooled to spheroidize the structure.
5Smoothing shape
Make the back while hitting with a mallet.
6Grinding
Shape it with a grinder until get required shape.
7Strain removal
It is a work to straighten the distortion caused by the heat on a wooden anvil.
8Insert name
Engrave a trademark, etc.
9Mud coating
Apply mud (abrasive powder) so that the quenching is evenly performed.
10Quenching
Work to harden steel by heating it to 780 to 800℃, soaking it in water and quenching it.
11Distortion removal
Correct the distortion caused by quenching.
12Tempering
Heat to 180℃ to make the steel sticky.
13Distortion removal
Remove the distortion of the finish.
14Back finish
Finish the back by polishing.
15With a blade
Attach a blade using a rough whetstone, a medium whetstone, and a finishing whetstone.
16Handling
Attach a wooden handle such as an oak.
Complete
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