You are certainly correct that 5 days is a very short amount of time to begin to learn swordsmithing, and our students are generally inundated with a great deal sword knowledge. We are conscience to try to keep of the classes moving in order to cover the entire curriculum appropriately. Our classes are scheduled to allow students to cover as much as possible, as well as minimize travel expenses. Students would have to attend all of our courses to learn all of the crafts to complete a mounted sword, with plenty of additional work required outside of class a well. Japanese swordsmithing is just an incredible demanding and difficult art.

However, we strongly believe that our classes are a great introduction in their respective areas of study. Without the commitment of an apprenticeship, our school gives students a chance the learn firsthand with an experienced teacher, with a thorough introduction into each aspect of the technology, as well as the overall art of the sword as a whole.

Apprenticeship is an entirely more complicated matter, only for those truly seeking to dedicate their lives fully to the art. There is a brief article regarding apprenticeship on our website, in case you have not already read it.

A blade must be properly prepped before a habaki can be forged and soldered for it. In order to achieve this, the blade must be final shaped on water stones. It is critical that this be done before students attend the habaki course, as there will not be enough time in class to do this AND make a habaki. This is discussed briefly on our school’s website, in regards to our newly scheduled Kajioshi-Habaki Course, which seeks to combine both together.

But, Maybe sometime in the future I will have enough, then I can finally experience the satisfaction of creating a blade with my own hands.