A beautiful display articulating the laborious process of forging a carbon steel blade. Each step in the process is clearly displayed with a physical representation of the blade and a nameplate explaining that part of the process. Parts of the process include: rough forging, rough shaping, clay covering, quenching, sizing, & finishing. This display is both aesthetically pleasing and highly educational.

1. Rough Forging: The blade is formed by hot forging a billet of super high-carbon steel. The repeated hammering provides an even dispersion of carbon throughout the steel for uniform strength of the finished blade.
2. Rough Shaping: The scale is removed and the blade is shaped roughly to the required dimensions. At this stage, the steel is still in the annealed (soft) state and the blade is straight.
3. Clay Covering: A special clay is applied to the blade by hand, using a thin covering near the edge and a thicker layer over the rest of the blade. This results in a relatively quicker cooling of the edge during quenching, producing a hard edge and softer back.
4. Quenching: This is a critical part of the operation. The blade, with its clay covering, is heated to a predetermined temperature and quenched in a water bath. The shape and continuity of the hamon (temper line), the sori (blade curvature), and blade straightness are all determined by the care and skill exercised in quenching.
5. Sizing: The sori is adjusted if necessary, to set the point of balance and point of percussion, and de-scaled. Rough polishing is carried out to size the blade accurately. The habaki (blade collar) is fitted.
6. Finishing: Careful final polishing and fine finish work are carried out on the various surfaces to define ridgelines and bring out the beauty of the hamon.