Running Out Of Swordsmiths

[BIG]

To bad...https://japantoday.com/category/features/lifestyle/Japan-is-running-out-of-swordsmiths-and-a-strict-apprenticeship-requirement-is-a-big-reason-why

 

Best

[PNSSHOGUN]

I think they need to change the apprenticeship rules, 5 years unpaid is a huge strain and commitment on both the Master and student. It takes some extraordinary will to go through this process only to then struggle until you win awards and reputation. I believe some sword smiths have to make kitchen knives to support themselves day to day.

[J Reid]

The only way they can change this is if the government pays master smiths monthly assistance per apprentice in order to supply wages. The apprentices don't make money because even the masters struggle to make ends meet. They should consider doing this if the tradition is struggling. It honestly wouldn't be too much in the bigger picture. The structure of the apprenticeship now is as it should be in order to guarantee that the quality and craftsmanship of nihonto carries on and does not slip as the times change. That would be even more tragic than the tradition ending in its entirety.

[Guido]

The article is a little misleading: yes, the apprenticeship is basically unpaid, but deshi are usually live-in students that get free meals and accommodation, sometimes even some pocket money. Sure, a deshi faces some meager years financially, but it’s not exactly like they have to pay anything out of their own pockets if they are content with the traditional system. Ningen kokuhō smiths, otoh, get a stipend from the government to make it easier for them to take on deshi; it might be a good idea to extend this financial support to mukansa.

[Lineaments]

The article is a little misleading: yes, the apprenticeship is basically unpaid, but deshi are usually live-in students that get free meals and accommodation, sometimes even some pocket money. Sure, a deshi faces some meager years financially, but it’s not exactly like they have to pay anything out of their own pockets if they are content with the traditional system. Ningen kokuhō smiths, otoh, get a stipend from the government to make it easier for them to take on deshi; it might be a good idea to extend this financial support to mukansa.

 

There are extremely few uchideshis (live in students) if any today, with free meals and such. Not even high level mukansa like Gassan or Yoshihara provide anything to their deshis. So they will have to pay for everything out of their own pocket, and it this is the traditional system of today.

[SAS]

Having done a somewhat modified version of a blacksmith apprenticeship under a master smith, I can say that it takes a number of years before an apprentice can produce full value for the master; prior to that, it is costing the master to train the apprentice, both directly and in terms of lost production while providing instruction. It seems likely to me that the same would be true for Japanese swordsmiths.

[Ken-Hawaii]

Where does one go to even see the work of modern tosho? Piers & I have spoken with one Bizen tosho about offering his blades in the U.S., but he had no idea how to proceed, & was uncomfortable even considering the possibility.

 

So, until we, the sword-buying public, can have the same access to shinsakuto that we do older blades through {shudder} eBay, Aoi, & a few other places, smiths will have a hard time making enough money to keep the art alive!