Yamanaka Shikki

TAMAHAGANE JEWERY

"Tamahagane Steel" is the one and only material used for the raw material of Japanese swords. Forged in the traditional way developed more than 1000 years ago, it has long been used in the production of swords as a tough material with extremely low impurity content and high carbon content.

the craftsmen at this Tatara work for three days and three nights straight, with temperatures up to 1400 F / 760 C. Such difficult and dangerous work is only done once per year.
As such, it is highly coveted, and nearly impossible to obtain by anyone but certified Japanese swordsmiths.

Nahoko Isota from Izumo decided to use such precious materials as a more familiar accessory in order to hand down the attractive and historic materials.

From the only Tatara used to make Japanese swords in modern times

Notably, Okuizumo City is also famous for “Nittoho Tatara”- the only Tatara in Japan that continues to make Tamahagane, the raw bloom-steel used in crafting Japanese Swords. Such difficult and dangerous work is only done once per year, but the Tamahagane produced from Nittoho Tatara is of the highest purity.
This manual forging process results in a unique, imperfect shape, and allows for the steel to take on all kinds of beautiful blues, oranges and purples. Just as the beauty of Okuizumo City pulled Nahoko to it, so did this colorful, deeply traditional, and fascinating steel.

Weave History Craftswooman

磯田菜穂子　Nahoko Isota

Nahoko Isota is an ‘accessory artist’- a Craftsman that makes Jewelry out of Tamahagane -who lives in Okuizumo, Japan. She moved back to this city, the home of her grandmother, after graduating from vocational school with a focus on product design and worked crystal and accessary shop. The natural beauty of Okuizumo City- the abundance of mountains, sprawling fields, and winding rivers -called to her, as it does visitors from all over who want to experience Japan’s picturesque outdoors.

From her first introduction through her work with natural stones, Nahoko was beset with desire to create works of art from this material, and to show the world beauty contained therein.