Sword Smith - Takemoto

Master Rich (Takemoto) Chen

Master Rich (Takemoto) Chen is a highly skilled craftsman who is one of the only sword smiths in all of China still using traditional Tamahagane smelting methods in all of China still using traditional Tamahagane smelting methods that date back some 1500 years.

Master Chen creates swords and knives out of steel he makes from iron powered steel, hammers the steel, polishes the blades and heats them by hand.  The handles and guards are hand-crafted making each sword truly a work of art earning a place for Master Chen's swords in the Macao Art Museum.

 

Characteristics of the Tamahagane steel

Tamahagane is a high quality metal made in the Japanese tradition.  The word "tama" means "round and precious," like a gem or jewel.  The word "hagane" means "steel."  On the market, it costs about 50 times more than ordinary steel due to process difficulties.  The process of making tamahagane contiuues for 36 to 72 hours depending on how much metal is to be created.  The iron sand is added every 10 minutes and the mixture is frequently turned over.  Tamahagane steel is used to make Japanese swords, knives and other kinds of tools.  Good tamahagane contains around 1% of carbon and should not go over 1.5%.