The Shibata family returned to the island this spring with some antiques freshly sourced from Japan. The boys spent a day in the forge assisting the preparation of the forge and charcoal, watching the forging of a habaki for an antique sword, and even helping run the fuigo bellows and striking for certain tasks.
Careful and detailed observers, the filing and shaping of the habaki was completed the very next morning after returning home! It is a lot of fun to have such eager and motivated students of craft at the forge. Below are some video clips from the museum forge and photos of the project, along with an update on their entirely self-built forge at home. がんばってね!
Habaki Project
Forge Roof
