From the 5th to the 8th of October, practical training of the ancient Tatara, Japanese steel manufacturing was held at Wakou museum in Yasugi-city. This has been held as one of the practical training for “Tatara and Modern steel manufacturing” at Shimane University since 2008, and 10 in total have participated this year. It has always only to visit the related facilities due to Covid-19 for the past 2 years, however, we are finally able to conduct practical training, this year.Tatara steel manufacturing is a unique method of steel making developed in Chugoku area, which produces steel from iron sand and charcoal in a clay-made furnace.

Before Covid-19, they conducted operations of steel making 3 times in winter (and once during the pandemic) in Okuizumo and provided the “Tamahagane” which is the premium raw steel material for Japanese swords to the swordsmiths in Japan.
In this ancient steel-making operation, we were able to make a subsurface structure, as well as created the under, middle and upper furnace by pugging the soil and piling them together thanks to Murage, who is the chief engineer and manager of Tatara operation.

The students started chopping charcoal, pugging the soil and making furnaces early in the morning which is a totally different experience from their daily life. On the 8, the final day, 3 people who represent the industry-academia collaboration such as the president of Shimane University, the superintendent of education in Yasugi city, as well as a representative from Hitachi Metals, Ltd, joined the ceremony for putting iron sand for the first time. The students experienced the operation of stepping fuigo, the bellows and sending air in the afternoon, and started to break the furnace around 3 pm, and finally, we succeed to produce 38kg of Kera, crude iron out of there.
After the event, the participants reviewed saying, “It was tiring, but very interesting.”, “Even though we started very early in the morning, I felt that the time passed very quickly.”

Preparation for building the subsurface structure
Chopping charcoals
Making the soil into a block shape to build the furnace

Building the furnace

Drying the middle furnace
Mr.Hattori,the president during ceremony

Taking out iron slags

Breaking the furnace

“Kera”produced this time