We sadly left our lovely ryokan and took the coach to Odawara train station about 40 minutes away. There were some cherry blossoms on the hills, though not yet in full bloom. The surprise frost a week ago set them all back for a few days, so Sakura celebrations will have to wait.
We spent some time on the station platform having fun trying to photo and video the bullet trains flying by. They are quite beautiful with their pointed snouts.
We boarded our own bullet train to Kyoto doing photo reviews during the two hour ride, then had lunch at the trains station there, a curry, for some variation.
Back on a bus we headed out to Tenri where we had an appointment with a swordsmith at work. The bus had to park a few streets away as the roads were narrow in this little village, so his wife met us to walk us to his furnace/studio.
It takes them about six months to make a finished sword as they spend many days melting the 5 kilos of iron ore and banging it flat, so watching him was not a start-to-finish affair. It made us realize how physical the work is, enduring high heat, but was not particularly interesting to watch after the first few minutes. He did not wear gloves and the safety goggles just perched on his head. He did tell us he put on his best outfit for our visit and normally works in overalls.
iron ore
We were invited into his home to see a finished sword. He does not make the handle himself, so sources that out, as well as the polishing of the steel. They cost about six thousand dollars, but when you think of the months spent making one....
It started to rain and was a dreary drive to Kashihara where we spent the night, doing another photo review followed by a western dinner together, with lovely steak au poivre.
No unpacking to do as it was a short stay, and our suitcases had been sent on the Osaka, so we were limited to overnight bags, with an early departure at 7am tomorrow for one last shot at cherry blossoms in Yoshino.
No comments:
Post a Comment