Frequently Asked Questions
Workshop Kurogane is situated in Kochi Prefecture on Shikoku Island, along the Shimanto River. The nearest city is Shimanto City, which can be reached by train from Kochi City.
From Shimanto City, it is a 30-minute drive by car or a 45-minute trip by public bus to the Kuchi Yanai bus stop. From there, it is a 20-minute walk to Workshop Kurogane. *Bus does not run on Sundays.
From Kochi City, take the limited Dosan Limited express train (1 hour 45 min) or the regular Dosan Line (approx. 3 hours) to Nakamura Station in Shimanto City.
Please note that if you're using the JR pass from Kochi City to Nakamura Station, you will need to pay an extra 2,000 yen from Kubokawa Station to Nakamura Station as the railway changes from JR to a private railway line. You can make the payment when exiting the station at Nakamura.
Typically, the workshops start at 9:00 a.m. and run until 4:00 p.m.
The workshop provides some work clothing and safety gear, such as safety glasses, ear protection, aprons, and work smocks. Keep in mind that you will be working with machines and very hot metal, so please wear proper shoes and long pants.
For the one-day workshop, please bring your own lunch. Please note that the workshop is deep in the countryside, and the area has no shops, restaurants, or convenience stores.
The work until lunch time is very physical so please consider bringing enough food.
If you are coming from Kochi City, Nakamura (Shimanto City) is only a 30 minutes drive away from the workshop and has plenty of hotels to choose from. Hotel Sun River Shimanto is one of the most comfortable and affordable choices.
If you are coming from the Matsuyama direction, Hotel Seira Shimanto in Ekawasaki is another option that's about 25 minutes away from the Workshop.
Both accommodations have options nearby to buy lunch.
Knives won't be completed by the end of the workshop and will require shipping to a location of the customer's choosing.
Note: You will essentially complete all the knife shaping and heat treatment by yourself, only we do the sharpening and polishing by ourselves in the days following the workshop to ensure you have a great knife to work with.
The tamahagane workshop produces sufficient tamahagane to create a single knife. Any excess steel leftover belongs to the workshop.
No, we are not a licensed sword shop, so we cannot legally make any type of sword. Additionally, we can only make items used for cooking or camping.
Only tamahagane courses use tamahagane. One-knife courses do not use tamahagane .
One.
Unless specified otherwise in advance, only one knife is included. Additional knives will incur an extra cost. Participants may not take home leftover material.