Has anyone else come across the videos on You Tube about samurai swords. I've spent the last few hours downloading some great documentaries about how these swords are made and it has been great fun. I've included links for the first episode of each documentary (I figured people could track down the other episodes on their own). The videos don't reveal any trade secrets but they are really well done and document the process very well.
The first one is from National Geographic and details the whole process from smelting the steel (they actually show and explain the whole tatara process) to the forging of the sword in the traditional manner, heat treating and grinding and polishing. The documentary introduces you to a Tatara master, a Sword master and a Polishing master - very cool!!!
The second series highlights another modern sword master who uses a power hammer.
The third is about another master polisher.
-a 5 part series called How to make samurai katana sword
YouTube - How to make samurai katana swords - Part 1
-a 5 part series on the modern master swordsmith Matsuda Tsuguyasu
YouTube - Japanese Swordsmith Matsuda Tsuguyasu
-a 3 part seris on Japanese traditional sword polishers -KATANA TOGISHI
YouTube - KATANA TOGISHI - Japanese Traditional Sword Sharpner part 1
You Tube also has a whole bunch of other videos dealing with katanas and swords - some interesting, some not but I had fun rummaging through them.
Enjoy.
Aeneas