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At the forge
Three videos show him at work: the whole process, from the oroshigane to the hi; the tsumi-wakashi; and the tsuchioki.
Play: 日本刀ができるまで。刀鍛冶職人が命を燃やす世界最高峰の刀剣。 (How a Japanese sword comes to be: the finest sword in the world, into which the swordsmith burns his life)
日本刀ができるまで。刀鍛冶職人が命を燃やす世界最高峰の刀剣。 (How a Japanese sword comes to be: the finest sword in the world, into which the swordsmith burns his life) · Japanese Industry (ジャパニーズインダストリー, Japanīzu Indasutorī)
39:52 · 15 March 2024
The long video: the whole process in his forge, from the oroshigane to the carving of the hi. The official Japanese subtitles are reliable; the translated ones, automatic, are not (they render the name of the Sanchōmō as “hair of the mountain birds”). The minute-by-minute breakdown is in “Style and forging”.
Play: 【4K】日本刀鍛錬前の重要工程・積み沸かし (An important step before forging the Japanese sword: the tsumi-wakashi)
【4K】日本刀鍛錬前の重要工程・積み沸かし (An important step before forging the Japanese sword: the tsumi-wakashi) · Tiny Mouse Factory (にしやまゆうき, Nishiyama Yūki)
9:25 · 20 April 2024
The tsumi-wakashi, with Japanese nails (和釘, wakugi) more than a hundred years old remelted as oroshigane.
Play: 日本刀製作の超重要工程・焼き刃土置き 刀匠・川島一城氏(備前伝) (A crucial step in making a Japanese sword, the tsuchioki: the swordsmith Kawashima Kazuki, Bizen-den)
日本刀製作の超重要工程・焼き刃土置き 刀匠・川島一城氏(備前伝) (A crucial step in making a Japanese sword, the tsuchioki: the swordsmith Kawashima Kazuki, Bizen-den) · Tiny Mouse Factory (にしやまゆうき, Nishiyama Yūki)
3:34 · 28 July 2023
The tsuchioki before the ceremonial hardening at the Yukie shrine, without narration and with music.
Reports and the Sanchōmō
Okayama television (OHK) has followed him from the preparations for Paris to his pursuit of the Sanchōmō.
Play: 夢の出発点から２３年…名刀・福岡一文字の山鳥毛を目指し炎と向き合う刀工・川島一城さん【岡山】 (23 years since the starting point of the dream: the swordsmith Kawashima Kazuki faces the fire with the goal of the Sanchōmō, the great sword of the Fukuoka Ichimonji [Okayama])
夢の出発点から２３年…名刀・福岡一文字の山鳥毛を目指し炎と向き合う刀工・川島一城さん【岡山】 (23 years since the starting point of the dream: the swordsmith Kawashima Kazuki faces the fire with the goal of the Sanchōmō, the great sword of the Fukuoka Ichimonji [Okayama]) · OHK, Okayama Broadcasting (OHK公式チャンネル, OHK kōshiki channeru)
7:16 · 2 July 2026
Report: the forge in 2003 and today, his difficulties, a tsuchioki with the Sanchōmō as a model, his life at the forge, the trip to France and the opinion of the swordsmith Yokoi Akimitsu.
Play: "日本人が持つ美の感性"を見て…瀬戸内市の鉄の芸術品「備前刀」仏・パリの展示会で… (Let them see “the Japanese sense of beauty”: the Bizen-tō, Setouchi’s art in iron, at an exhibition in Paris…)
"日本人が持つ美の感性"を見て…瀬戸内市の鉄の芸術品「備前刀」仏・パリの展示会で… (Let them see “the Japanese sense of beauty”: the Bizen-tō, Setouchi’s art in iron, at an exhibition in Paris…) · OHK, Okayama Broadcasting (OHK公式チャンネル, OHK kōshiki channeru)
1:39 · 28 November 2024
Presentation in Setouchi of the sword that travelled to the 2024–2025 Paris exhibition.
Paris, 2026
The two videos from the Setouchi mayor’s channel filmed in Paris, in May 2026.
Play: フランスで展示した日本刀のこだわりを刀匠川島一城氏が解説！ (The swordsmith Kawashima Kazuki explains the details of the Japanese sword exhibited in France)
フランスで展示した日本刀のこだわりを刀匠川島一城氏が解説！ (The swordsmith Kawashima Kazuki explains the details of the Japanese sword exhibited in France) · Kuroishi Kentarō, mayor of Setouchi (黒石健太郎, Kuroishi Kentarō | 瀬戸内市長 チャンネル, Setouchi shichō channeru)
7:44 · 30 May 2026
Kawashima explains the mounting of the Paris sword: menuki with the French cockerel, blue tsuka-ito, a tsuba with iris and chrysanthemum, a feather-broom motif (to clean, to purify), a saya lacquered with the Seine and a tricolour sageo. He calls it a “守り刀” (mamori-gatana), a protective sword.
Play: 日本刀は家族や一族を守るお守りであり、芸術作品アートだと語る刀匠川島一城氏 (The swordsmith Kawashima Kazuki says the Japanese sword is an amulet that protects the family and the lineage, and a work of art)
日本刀は家族や一族を守るお守りであり、芸術作品アートだと語る刀匠川島一城氏 (The swordsmith Kawashima Kazuki says the Japanese sword is an amulet that protects the family and the lineage, and a work of art) · Kuroishi Kentarō, mayor of Setouchi (黒石健太郎, Kuroishi Kentarō | 瀬戸内市長 チャンネル, Setouchi shichō channeru)
2:21 · 29 May 2026 · short
Talk in Paris, with French interpreting: the sword as the family’s amulet, the swords handed down in the imperial house and those offered to shrines and temples.
Ceremonies
The 2019 ceremonial forging and the announcement of the 2023 ceremonial hardening before the Yukie shrine.
Play: 刀剣鍛錬奉納 奉納式 (Tōken tanren hōnō, hōnōshiki: ceremonial forging as an offering, the ceremony)
刀剣鍛錬奉納 奉納式 (Tōken tanren hōnō, hōnōshiki: ceremonial forging as an offering, the ceremony) · Kasahara Yoshihisa (笠原義久)
4:30 · 19 November 2019
The ceremonial forging of 8 November 2019 at the Bizen-no-kuni Sōjagū (備前国総社宮), in which Kawashima is the offerer.
Play: 8月5日は奉納焼き入れ神事！ (On 5 August, the ceremonial hardening as an offering!)
8月5日は奉納焼き入れ神事！ (On 5 August, the ceremonial hardening as an offering!) · Tiny Mouse Factory (にしやまゆうき, Nishiyama Yūki)
7:12 · 5 July 2023
Announcement of the ceremonial hardening of 5 August 2023, at 19:30, before the Yukie shrine in Osafune.
The documentary 『揺らぎの聲』 (Yuragi no Koe)
Nishiyama Yūki (Tiny Mouse Factory) filmed a year of Kawashima’s work. Besides the announcement, the trailer and the thanks to the backers, he published two series of conversations recorded in April 2023: with the film crew itself and with the “Jōmon carpenter” Amemiya Kunihiro.
Play: 備前長船の刀鍛冶を追うドキュメンタリー『揺らぎの聲』製作開始告知 (Announcement of the start of filming of Yuragi no Koe, a documentary following a Bizen Osafune swordsmith)
備前長船の刀鍛冶を追うドキュメンタリー『揺らぎの聲』製作開始告知 (Announcement of the start of filming of Yuragi no Koe, a documentary following a Bizen Osafune swordsmith) · Tiny Mouse Factory (にしやまゆうき, Nishiyama Yūki)
2:48 · 7 December 2022
Announcement of the documentary 『揺らぎの聲』: three ceremonies and a year of work. At the time its release was planned for 2025.
Play: 揺らぎの聲 予告編 (Yuragi no Koe, trailer)
揺らぎの聲 予告編 (Yuragi no Koe, trailer) · Tiny Mouse Factory (にしやまゆうき, Nishiyama Yūki)
3:18 · 10 January 2026
Trailer of the documentary. The release is planned for December 2026.
Play: 映画『揺らぎの聲』クラウドファンディング ご支援への御礼 (The film Yuragi no Koe: thank you for supporting the crowdfunding)
映画『揺らぎの聲』クラウドファンディング ご支援への御礼 (The film Yuragi no Koe: thank you for supporting the crowdfunding) · Tiny Mouse Factory (にしやまゆうき, Nishiyama Yūki)
4:57 · 19 February 2026
Kawashima thanks those who supported the documentary’s crowdfunding, which reached its target.
Play: 刀鍛冶と映像屋 その1 (The swordsmith and the filmmaker, 1)
刀鍛冶と映像屋 その1 (The swordsmith and the filmmaker, 1) · Tiny Mouse Factory (にしやまゆうき, Nishiyama Yūki)
19:01 · 28 June 2023
Conversation recorded in April 2023 on how the filming of the documentary began.
Play: 刀鍛冶と映像屋 その2 刀とは? (The swordsmith and the filmmaker, 2: what is a sword?)
刀鍛冶と映像屋 その2 刀とは? (The swordsmith and the filmmaker, 2: what is a sword?) · Tiny Mouse Factory (にしやまゆうき, Nishiyama Yūki)
18:18 · 2023
Second conversation: what a sword is for the one who forges it.
Play: 刀鍛冶と映像屋 その3 (The swordsmith and the filmmaker, 3)
刀鍛冶と映像屋 その3 (The swordsmith and the filmmaker, 3) · Tiny Mouse Factory (にしやまゆうき, Nishiyama Yūki)
17:49 · 4 July 2023
Third conversation in the series.
Play: 縄文大工と刀鍛冶と私 (Jōmon daiku to katanakaji to watashi; The Jōmon carpenter, the swordsmith and me)
縄文大工と刀鍛冶と私 (Jōmon daiku to katanakaji to watashi; The Jōmon carpenter, the swordsmith and me) · Tiny Mouse Factory (にしやまゆうき, Nishiyama Yūki)
15:34 · 6 April 2023
Dialogue with the “Jōmon carpenter” Amemiya Kunihiro: fire and tools.
Play: 縄文大工と刀鍛冶の哲学 2 (Jōmon daiku to katanakaji no tetsugaku 2; The philosophy of the Jōmon carpenter and the swordsmith, 2)
縄文大工と刀鍛冶の哲学 2 (Jōmon daiku to katanakaji no tetsugaku 2; The philosophy of the Jōmon carpenter and the swordsmith, 2) · Tiny Mouse Factory (にしやまゆうき, Nishiyama Yūki)
12:33 · April 2023
Second part of the dialogue with Amemiya Kunihiro.
Play: 縄文大工と刀鍛冶の哲学 3 (Jōmon daiku to katanakaji no tetsugaku 3; The philosophy of the Jōmon carpenter and the swordsmith, 3)
縄文大工と刀鍛冶の哲学 3 (Jōmon daiku to katanakaji no tetsugaku 3; The philosophy of the Jōmon carpenter and the swordsmith, 3) · Tiny Mouse Factory (にしやまゆうき, Nishiyama Yūki)
13:26 · April 2023
Third part: creating as a form of prayer.
Play: 縄文大工と刀鍛冶の哲学 4 (Jōmon daiku to katanakaji no tetsugaku 4; The philosophy of the Jōmon carpenter and the swordsmith, 4)
縄文大工と刀鍛冶の哲学 4 (Jōmon daiku to katanakaji no tetsugaku 4; The philosophy of the Jōmon carpenter and the swordsmith, 4) · Tiny Mouse Factory (にしやまゆうき, Nishiyama Yūki)
18:12 · 12 April 2023
Fourth and last part of the dialogue.
Talks and interviews
A public talk from 2025 and a long interview from the same year.
Play: 【THE BASE 出張版】片寄涼太が迫る！現代刀鍛冶・備前焼作家が語る未来 (THE BASE, special edition: Katayose Ryōta asks; a present-day swordsmith and a Bizen potter talk about the future)
【THE BASE 出張版】片寄涼太が迫る！現代刀鍛冶・備前焼作家が語る未来 (THE BASE, special edition: Katayose Ryōta asks; a present-day swordsmith and a Bizen potter talk about the future) · MEET YOUR ART
24:49 · 14 November 2025
Talk at the MEET YOUR ART FESTIVAL 2025 with the Bizen potter Mori Taiga: his biography, the protective sword, learning by trial and error, the tamahagane from Shimane, the twelve folds and the Fukuoka Ichimonji.
Play: 【刀鍛冶 川島一城さん】瀬戸内市民の皆さまの声を伺うシリーズ (The swordsmith Kawashima Kazuki: a series listening to the voices of Setouchi residents)
【刀鍛冶 川島一城さん】瀬戸内市民の皆さまの声を伺うシリーズ (The swordsmith Kawashima Kazuki: a series listening to the voices of Setouchi residents) · Kuroishi Kentarō, mayor of Setouchi (黒石健太郎, Kuroishi Kentarō | 瀬戸内市長 チャンネル, Setouchi shichō channeru)
55:38 · 20 May 2025
Long interview recorded during an election campaign: the interviewer was then a candidate for mayor of Setouchi. It is included for what Kawashima tells about his craft, with that caution.