希德外语核心课程
课程体系代码：ST-151.B1
See this?
This is a samurai, an elite Japanese warrior.
日本武士
精英
And this is his sword, his samurai sword.
剑
Watch out!
It's super sharp.
They've been around for over 1,000 years, as iconic
标志性
to Japanese culture as cherry trees or Mt.Fuji.
富士山
And thanks to, of all things, a blacksmith, a potter,
陶瓷工
铁匠
and an ancient scroll, you can still buy a totally 100%
书卷
custom-made katana blade today.
武士刀
Seriously awesome.
牛逼
So, random question-- how exactly
is this ancient knowledge of making iconic Japanese samurai
swords still around?
Well, it's a pretty incredible story
难以置信
of ancient scrolls, fiery forges, and the most
火锻造
expensive steel on the planet.
钢
Let's take a deeper look at how the sword and the scroll
are linked.
The Shimane Prefecture in Japan is wild with plunging
岛根县
峭壁
cliffs and volcanic islands.
火山岛
It's full of sacred Shinto shrines and waterfalls,
神道教神社
神圣的
believed to bring victory to bullfighters and sumo
wrestlers who drink its waters.
相扑手
And sometimes, its rivers run red, blood red.
But not with blood.
That's disgusting.
恶心
With iron deposits.
沉积
And that's how the blacksmith made a living in this region.
He smelted that iron into steel until he
熔炼
and his buddy, the potter, found an ancient scroll.
That taught them how to make--
drum roll please--
鼓声响起来
--samurai swords.
Total job upgrade.
档次提升
Nowadays, there are only about 200 traditional swordsmiths
left in Japan.
Shunji Kobayashi is one of them, thanks to his grandfather,
the blacksmith.
So why is his craft disappearing?
Never mind that society and warfare have totally changed.
战争
Making real swords is a long process,
and they'll cost you upwards of $25,000 a pop.
But remember those iron deposits?
That iron sand is put into it tatara, or a clay tub furnace.
炉子
粘土管式炉
This is the only one left in Japan.
It's heated, mixed with charcoal to add carbon, and voila!
木炭
瞧
Steel.
Tamahagane steel, the most expensive steel in the world.
和刚
And that curved shape comes from layering two kinds of steel
and submerging that red hot, fresh from the forge
掩盖
sword directly into the water.
Contracting metals bend inward to form
收缩
that lethal, legendary blade.
致命
And when you're holding one, you're holding a millennium's
千年
worth of trade secrets.
No pressure there, Shunji.
Shunji Kobayashi says it takes six months just to make one
sword, and it takes five years of training just
to polish a katana properly.
磨光
The whole swordsmithing thing requires patience and attention
to detail, much like the samurai themselves,
which is why the katana is known as the soul of the samurai.
But that's not the whole story.
For more on the sword and the scroll,
watch "Explorer" on National Geographic.