Tamahagane Steel - From the Past to the Future

History of Tamahagane Steel

Shaken from head to toe by wars, Japan was a peculiar country when it came to forging weapons and armor.

At first, the general norm around the world was swords of iron and bronze. These, a true marvel of their time, were used for many years, and became essential when facing less developed civilizations, offering a deadly advantage.

The Japanese, for example, owe part of their success in taking over Japanese territory —before it was called Japan— to these swords.

However, over time, the advantages of a stronger and more resistant material, capable of holding a sharper edge, were discovered: steel. And, when steel forging became popular, the Japanese had a hard time with it.

While most advanced countries had access to easy-to-treat steel, Japan had to make do with what it had in its limited territory.

Around the 8th century, Japan’s ironmaking technology took a turn, from importing steel to using iron sand (satetsu) that they collected from Shimane —even today, iron sand for sword is still being collected there.
Because of the loose nature of the sand, it was difficult to use it to forge steel in a traditional furnace. To solve this, the Japanese developed a special furnace called the TATARA.