Craft Days · Seki, Gifu

Katana Forging with a Licensed Swordsmith

Spend an afternoon at a working forge in Gifu,
shaping steel beside one of the few licensed swordsmiths still practising the craft.

Location: Seki, Gifu
Duration: 3 hours
Languages: Japanese, English interpreter
Group size: Private, up to 4 guests

Overview

Seki has forged blades for over seven hundred years. In this private visit you stand inside a working forge — not behind glass — while a licensed swordsmith heats, hammers, and folds steel a few steps away. An interpreter stays at your side, so every question you have reaches the smith, and every story comes back.

Highlights

Watch a licensed swordsmith work steel in a 700-year-old sword town
Small private group: never more than four guests
English interpreter at your side throughout

Who you learn from

A licensed swordsmith

Only a small number of smiths in Japan hold a licence to forge traditional swords.

You would learn from a master whose lineage reaches back generations, in a workshop that opens its doors to just a handful of visitors each year. This is the heart of the experience: not a demonstration, but time spent beside someone who has given their life to the craft.

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For over a decade, she has folded squares of silk into petals a few millimetres wide, a craft called tsumami zaiku that once adorned the hair of Edo-period women.What began as a fascination with a dying technique became a workshop, then a school, then a life. Today her pieces travel abroad with visitors who met her at her bench.

More details

The Experience

01
13:00
Welcome at the forge
Meet the swordsmith and hear how Seki became a centre of swordmaking, with a look at the tools of the trade.
02
13:45
At the anvil
Under close guidance, take part in heating and hammering steel, feeling how the metal moves.
03
15:15
Finishing and reflection
See how a blade is refined and polished, and talk with the smith over tea about a lifetime in the craft.

Location & Access

Seki, Gifu: a swordmaking town for over 700 yearsAbout 15 minutes by taxi from Seki-shi Station

Before You Book

What’s included

English interpreter
All materials and protective wear
Tea with the swordsmith

Not included

Transportation to Seki
Personal purchases

Do I need any experience?

None at all. Every step is guided, and the smith adjusts the pace to you.

Can I take photos?

Yes, in most areas of the forge. The smith will let you know the few spots where photography is not possible.

Can children join?

Guests aged 13 and up are welcome at the forge. Ask us about arrangements for younger travelers.

Ready to experience this yourself?

Plan your visit

Trusted by Japan Culture Enthusiasts

🇺🇸United States

It was a Zen-like immersive experience that taught us not only the technique but also the why — the feelings involved, and our connection to the craft. I was deeply moved that the smith remembered us.

S.S