Blacksmithing Experience

　The experience workshop is a favourite with French visitors. It’s not just cooking and tea ceremonies that are popular—blacksmithing workshops are also a hit.

　Located right in the centre of Kyoto, the long-established Kanetaka Hamono Rouho is renowned for offering a forging experience where you can hammer red-hot steel in a blacksmith’s forge.

　Naturally, the finishing touches are all carried out by skilled craftsmen, who ensure the result is a sharp kitchen knife.

　The current proprietor is the seventh-generation owner. It is said that he previously worked in other fields, but as he used blades in every job, he came to appreciate their importance anew and decided to continue preserving the tradition.

　I truly hope that visitors from abroad will have the chance to experience this authentic craft for themselves.