For about an hour he sat cross-legged on the floor and patiently covered the blade with a mud-like mixture on to which he drew a wavy design.įinally he went to a temporary forge that had been set up outside of the JCCC. Then Kiyota Sensei proceeded to apply in a meticulous fashion a coating of clay to a blade that had already gone through the initial stages of heating and hammering.
It is this combination of the outer strength and inner flexibility that gives the sword its effectiveness in combat. We saw iron ore being made into two grades of steel, one for the inner part of the blade and one for the outer coating. The first steps were shown by means of a video presentation from the All Japan Swordsmiths Association. Assisted by his Canadian apprentice, Pierre Nadeau, Kiyota Sensei explained the process of sword-making. The highlight of the day was the lecture and demonstration by Kiyota Sensei. Members of the audience clearly enjoyed the opportunity to try it themselves under the careful supervision of the Iaido students.
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Using highly sharpened blades, this is a dangerous practice unless done very attentively.Įven more potentially dangerous is tameshigiri, practice cutting, when a water-soaked, rolled up straw mat is sliced into a successively smaller length by a series of straight and angled cuts. The audience was shown how the Iaido practitioner begins by seeking internal calm and focus, and then proceeds to draw the sword in defense against imaginary opponents. In the afternoon the JCCC Iaido Club, led by Chief Instructor Ohmi Sensei, gave a demonstration of sword-drawing and practice-cutting.
The respective presentations were real eye-openers for some of the fifty or so observers. He rebuilds them using wood and ray skin, then wraps them tightly in silk cord.īoth polishing and wrapping are time-consuming labors that require great skill and dedication. He takes old or damaged swords and restores their looks by painstakingly grinding them a few centimeters at a time to remove nicks or rust.ĭavid Pepper, from Windsor, has been fascinated by swords for nearly fifty years. In the morning, Doug Blaine, from Guelph, explained his role as a sword polisher. Also presenting were David Pepper, Doug Blain, and the JCCC Iaido Club. The featured guest was Jirokunisetsu Kiyota Sensei a master swordsmith from Japan. On Saturday, Octothere was a demonstration of various aspects of the Japanese sword at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre in Toronto.
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