| Pages
| ||
|
Tatara - The Wakou Museum The "Tatara" steel-making process. I recognize each step.
| |||
| Museum exhibits | Brochure and Text | ||
|
I spent the summer of 1971 making steel in Andrew Carnegie's mill by the 19th century method. I was particularly intereted in this. As accurately rendered in Mononoke, the medieval Tatara process for making extremely high quality steel (Think "samurai swords.") According to legend, "Kanayago Goddess" came from heaven ("Takamagahara") to Iwanabe and taught the residents how to make ironmongery goods such as pots and kettles. After that the Kanayago Goddess left for Western Japan, riding an egret. The goddess flew to the Izumo district and perched on a branch. A Mr. Abe passed the tree and coincidentally met Kanayago Goddess. She declared she would teach Mr. Abe and residents the Tatara technology. From historic records, this would have been around 1520. It was necessary for "Tatara" owners to take up huge mountain forests to supply charcoal for "Tatara" sites. It took 3 days for one cycle of "Tatara" operation and this is called "Hito-yo" meaning "of one life" and consumed 12 tons of charcoal. In order to produce 12 tons of charcoal, 1 hectare (=2.47 acres) of a mountain forest was necessary. During the Edo era when Tatara operations were most active, 60 Tatara operations per year were performed. Then imp[leis that 60 hectares (148 acroes) of mountain forest were cut. | |||
|
The main room illustrates each succesive step of the process, the resources required and the local economy which formed around this "industry."
| ||
|
_22nov09-0646_nn.jpg Lookin at the area where iron sand had been found.  |
_22nov09-0649_nn.jpg  |
_22nov10-b_1029.jpg  |
|
_22nov10-b_1032.jpg  |
_22nov10-b_1033.jpg  |
_22nov10-b_1056.jpg  |
|
_22nov10-b_1101.jpg  |
_22nov10-b_1102.jpg Digging and lining the pit for one batch.  |
_22nov10-b_1102a.jpg Filling the pit with hardwood in preparation for making charcoal.  |
|
_22nov10-b_1102b.jpg The charcoal is produced by a proprietary process.  |
_22nov10-b_1102c.jpg The furnace enclosure is built over the charcoal pit.  |
_22nov10-b_1103.jpg Bellows are moved into place.  |
|
_22nov10-b_1104.jpg The "heat" (as we called it in the steel mill") is tended for hours until the master determines that the steel is done.  |
_22nov10-b_1105.jpg This is an ingot of the high quality steel yielded by the process.  |
_22nov10-b_1105a.jpg This is what comes out after firing in the furness. It is a mixture of steel, pig iron, and other residues.  |
|
_22nov10-b_1129.jpg Koichi and Bruce challenge the stepping seesaw bellows.  |
_22nov09-0744_nn0.jpg  |
|
|
_tatarap1.jpg  |
_tatarap2.jpg  |
_tatarap3.jpg  |
|
_tatarap4.jpg  |
_tatarap5.jpg  |
_tatarap6.jpg  |
|
_tatarap7.jpg  |
_tatarap8.jpg  |
_tatarap9.jpg  |
|
_tatarap10tools.jpg  |
_tatarap11.jpg  |
_wakouguide1.jpg  |
|
_wakouguide2.jpg  |
||