Master Blades Smith And Martial Artist

This Is Part Of A Article That I Had With Amber Tanaka, Whom At The Time Was One Of My Students In Ken Ju Ryu. Ken Ju Ryu Is One Of Two Martial Arts I Have Been Officially Recognized As The "Soke" Or Head And Founder Of A Martial Art In Japanese The Ather Art Is Tae Soo Mu Do July Of 2023 I Was Officially Promoted To 10th Degree Balk Belt In Tae Soo Mu Do As Well As The Founder Of The Art And Givn The Title Of Dajungnim. And Tae Soo Mu Do Has Been Officially Accredited As A "Authentic Korean Martial Art.

I Did Not Know At The Time My Student Amber Tanaka Was One Of The Edditors And Wrighter For American Martial Arts Magazine ( The Magazine Was Discontinued In 2017) 

This Artical Was Published Late August 10 Years Ago.

Tanaka: "Hanshi I Have Notice That You Have, The Only Way I Can Discribe It Is "Absolutely Mesmerizing And Beyond Breath Taking "Shinsakuto", One Displaied up There On The Dojo Wall. Can You Tell Me A Little About It? Where Did You Aquire Ir? Was It Your ToKo Shidoshi's, Or Is It One Of Your Own?

Hanshi Boren: Turning His Head To Look Over His Shoulder To Look At This Masterpiece Museum Relic: 

'Oh That Dusty Thing Up There? No That Not Toko Shidoshi Inako Mutukensi Katana, That Is My Very First Katana I Ever Made. If You Recall Kiddo I Am A Master Bladesmith And Have Just Been Recognized As A Renowned Historical Weapons Recreations Mastersmith. The Irony Of It All I Learned How To Make Japanese Swords Long Before I Made My Fist Knife As You Know I Refer To It As "The One"

Tanaka: "Yes Sir I Know Exactly Exactly The Knife You Are Referring Too. Is Japanese Swordsmithing And Knife Smithing A Simular Prossces? "

Hanshi Boren: Laughing With A Smerk On His Face " Oh Lord No, Japanese Swordsmithing Also Known As Nihonto Is More Then Making A Billoit Or Taking A Piece Of High Carbon Steel And Heating It Up And Hammering Out A Rough Shape Like I Do When I Make A Knife , Or A Historical Weapon!" It Is A Sacred Prossces, Best Way I Can Discribe It Is It's A Spiritual Journey And Is More Intimate Prossces The Knife Smithing. I Was Taught A Simi Modern Version Of A Ancient Sacred Art That Has Been Passed Down From Father To Son Generation After Generations, For Almost A Thousand Years. I Was Very Fortunate To Have Learn This Ancient Craft Of Nihonto And The Sacred Cerimony Of Shinto religious rituals From Toko Inako Mutukensi. Now Understand I Said I Was Taught A Simi Modern Ancient Tradition And Art Of Nihonto. Meaning Traditional Nihonto Uses steel Known As Tamahagane Or Iron-Sand. And Traditional Nihonto Has At Least 4 Smiths To Just Make One Single Sword."

Tanaka: "Oh Wow!! So How Did You Learn This Ancient Craft ? How Old Where You? How Old Where You When You When You Started Learning Martial Arts?"

Hanshi Boren:"Oh Wow You're Going To Make Me Think Ain't You (Smiling And Laughing) I Was About Four Years Old When I Fist Started Studding American Kenpo And Kajukenbo. I Was Living In Clovis CA When My Dad Took Me To Rose Kenpo .The Funny Thing About This Was Grandmaster Mike Rose Was My Uncles Best Friend And A Family Friend."

Tanaka: "Did You Get The Family Discout?Or Was Studding Under GrandMaster Rose Like Having Another Dad Or Uncle, Who Was Harder On You Then The Rest Of The Students And Had Really High Expectations For You Like What Your Own Dad And Uncle Had For You?"

Hanshi Boren: "I Got Both. The Family Discount And Yes Grandmaster Rose Was Harder On Me And Actually Had Higher Expectations For Me The My Own Uncle And Dad Did For Me"

Tanaka: How Long Did You Study Under Grandmaster Rose For? I Know It Was For A Very Long Time."

Hanshi Boren: " Yes It Was For A Very Long Time. "Actually I Studied Under Grandmaster Mike Rose For 26 Year. From Age Of 4 to 30. In Fact Grandmaster Rose Promoted Me To 6th Degree Black Belt Right Here In This School A Week To Almost The Day I Received The News He Had Passed Away In His Sleep"

Tanaka: "That Must Of Have Been Extremely Hard And Difficult For You When You Recived The News"

Tanaka: So Tell Me What Was The Correlation Between GM Rose, Your ToKo Shidoshi Inako Mutukensi And Yourself? Like How Did You First Me Shidoshi Mutukensi? How Old Were You? And How Did You Learn Nihonto"?

Hanshi Boren: "Well ToKo Shidoshi Inako Mutukensi Was Actually GM Rose Danza Ryu Ju-Jitsu Instructor Whom Later Became My InstructorAnd Ultimately Became My Toko Shidoshi"

Hanshi Boren: "It Was Around Mid-Summer Because I Had Just Turned 10 And Remember Having A Neighborhood 4th Of July Block Party. I Think It Was On A Saturday,Cant Remember The Exact Day It'S Was So Long Ago. But I Do Remember It Was On A Weekend When GM Rose Introduced Me To Toko Shidoshi" 

Tanaka: How Long After Meeting And Being Introduced To ToKo Shidoshi Did You Start Learning Danza Ryu Ju-Jitsu? And How Long Was It Before ToKo Shidoshi Inako Mutukensi Started Teaching You Nihonto"?

Hanshi Boren :My First Ju-Jitsu Leason Happened To Be That Very Same Day I First Met ToKo. I Was 15 When ToKo Shidoshi Inako Mutukensi First Started Teaching Me The Ancient Craft Of Nihonto. I'll Never Forget That Day. It Was On Saturday Some Time In August, Dont Remember The Exact Day, I Just Remember It Was A Saturday In Mid To Late August The Year I Turned 15.

I Remember My Mom Driving Into Clovis,I Was Staying With My Mom For A Few Weeks In Hanford CA, My Parents Divorced When I Was Young And I Lived In Madera With My Dad And My Mom Lved in Hanford. Mom Dropped Me Of At ToKo House Early That Day Because It Was A Saturday And Every Saturday Were My Private Lessons With ToKo. It Was A Typical Saturday Morning Toko Would Cook Me Tamagoyaki (Japanese omelet), And He Would Steam Som Rice;But Ever Since I Was Little Till This Day I Love Eating Steam Rice With Milk A Litte Sugar And Maple Syrup.

Hanshi Boren: After Breakfast ToKo And I Would Go Into His Priate Dojo And We Would Review Previous Techniques He Taught Me From The Weeks Before Followed By A Series Of New Techniques. But This Saturday Was A Little Different. When We Walked Into The Private Dojo That Morning There Were Two "Pilows' Up In Front With A Litte Tiny Bentch With A Silk Cloth Over It. I Dont Remember What Those Pillows Where Call Or The Tiny Little Table Was Called. Toko Entered The Dojo First Then I Followed We When To The Front Of The Dojo And Toko Nelt On The Pillow And Motioned Me To Do As Well. We Bowed To Each Other.The I Remember Toko Telling Me The Story When He First "Became Of Age To Learn" Martial Arts In The Oriants Believe Once You Become A Black Belt,That Was When The Real Journey Of Learing Began. As ToKo Was Telling Me The Story We Bowed Puting His Hands Down On The Cloth Touching His Forehead To His Hands . Then He Slid This Tiny Table And Silk Cloth Towards Me And Is Thick Japanese Broken English Grind And As "Now You Bow",As Instructed I Did So. Then He Told Me While Being Very Excited, To Lift The Cloth. To My Amazement Under The Cloth Was A BLack Bet, But There WhereA Few Other Items As Well"

Tanaka: So I Assume That Day You Were Promoted To Black Belt? What Were The Other Items Laying On This Tiny Table"?

Hanshi Boren :Yes That Was The Day I Was Promoted To Black Belt. Now Those Uther Items That Were Under The Cloth With My Belt Was A Hachimaki (Traditional Japanese Style Headband To Help Asorb Sweat) Now The Thing About This Hachimaki was It Had Two Type Of Japanese Kanji (Writing Characteristics) On It. The Fist Set Of Kanji Said Minarai Japanese Verb For Apprentice. The Second Set Of Kanji Was For Herupā Translating To helper or assistant. There Was A Set Of Bladesmithing Tongs And My Very Own Genno A Traditional Nihonto Smithing Hammer."

Tanaka: I Bet You Seemed A Little Shocked Seein Those Other Items. Did You Know That ToKo MutukensiWas A Master In The Art Of Nihonto?

Hanshi Boren: "Actually Yes I Did. The First Day I Met ToKo After My Lesson He Gave Me A Tour Of His Absolutely Gorgeous Home He Had Build Himself For His Late Wife Kitioko I Think That Was Her Name And How You Pernounced Her Name. ToKo Build Their House Out In What Use To Be The County In Fresno County In 1947 . Now Toko Hpuse Is One Of The Original Homes In The Neighborhood. I Remember Him Picking Up A Katana Of The Fire Place Mantle And Letting Me Hold It".

Tanaka: Who's Katana Was It? Do You Remember What Was Going Through You 10 Year Old Mind At The Time".

Hanshi Boren: I Remember I Had The Feeling I Was Someone Who Was Really Special To ToKo. Simply Because I Was Holding The Actual Family Katana; His Family Katana. I Remember Him Tell Me The Katana I Was Holding Was Not Only His Family Katana But It Has Been Passed Donw From Fater To Son Since The Late 8th To Somewhere In The Early 9th Century A.D. He Didn't Remember The Exact Time Frame. I Remember Looking At Him Saying "Youre Lying Sir, This Sword Isn't That Old, Is It?

I Thought I Was In Big Trouble Because I Just Called My Danza Ryu Ju-Jitsu Master A Lier. Turns Out ToKo Gently Took The Katana From Me And Set It Back On The Mantal, Then He Took What Looked Like A Really Old Picture With Lots Of Japanese Writing On It."

Tanaka: "What Was This "Really Old Picture With Lots Of Japanese Writing On It?"

Hanshi Boren: "Turns Out It Was The Family Tree Of His But It Was The Family Tree Of The Sword And Names Of His Ancestors Passing The Sword Down And The Knowledge Of Teaching Of Nihonto Paseed Down From Father To Son. The Earlist Date On It Was 1078 AD . How Ever It Did Mention That This Sword Has Been Passed Down For Several Generations At That Time. I Also Remembering That It Was Passed Dow From His Father To Him, And It Downd On Me He Still Had It. 10 Year Old Me Asked ToKo Why Did His Son Have The Sword? ToKo Looked At GM Rose Then Back At Me, When GM Rose Put His Arm On My Shoulder Telling Me Both Toko-s Son And Grandson Have Both Passed Away And He Had No One To Pass The Family Sword To."

Tanaka: "That Is Very Sad, So If The Art Of Nihonto Was Passed Down From Father To Son, Then Why Did ToKo Teach You? Help Me And Our Readers Understand How This All Happed"

Hanshi Boren: "Well Remember When I Just Said A Couple Minutes Ago When I Was 15 On The Little Table Was A Hachimaki With Both Kanji Characters For "Apprentice" The Verb Minarai And The Characters For Herupā Meaning Helper Or Assistant. As Well As A Pair Of Blacksmithing Tongs And A Genno?"

Tanaka" Yes, Go On"

Hanshi Boren: "Toko Gave Those To Me Because That Day Was My Fist Lesson Of The Ancient Craft Of Nihonto" That Was The First Day I Started To Not Only Learn Nihonto It Was Also The Day I Started To Forge My Very Fist Katana."

Tanaka: Are You Referring To That One There Sitting On The Shelf Behind You On The Dojo Wall?"

Hanshi Boren: Yup, That's The One. My Very First Katana "

Tanaka: "How Long Did That Take You To Make? I'm Sure It Took You Several Years To Make."

Hanshi Boren: "Actually No, It Took Me 10 Months To Make. In Those 10 Months I Learned How To Make A Version Of Tamahagane Meaning "Jewel Steel" Better Known As Iron Sand. Toko Showed Me As He Called It " American Tamahagane" Or "Imitation Tamahagane" 

I Remember Toko Saying His Version Of Tamahagane Was Just As Good As Japanese Tamahagane, Maybe Better As He Would Say. He Also Would Tell Me His Tamahagane Only Required One Or Two People And It Didn't Require All The Long "Old Traditional Ways".

Tanaka: What Exactly Was Toko "Imitation Tamahagane" Made From?"

Hanshi Boren: "Well The Exact Ingredients And Actual Process Is A Trade Secret That ToKoShidoshi Inako Mutukensi Made Me Swear To Keep Until I Myself Have A Son To Pass down The Teachings Of Nihonto To. But I Will Say Harvesting Charcoal From Old Wood That's About 100 Years Old From A Kiln;That Takes Several Grulling House To Watch. Wrought Iron, Wet Oil Sand, And Straw Are Also Involved".

Tanaka: Sound Like A Very Long Prossces"

Hanshi Boren: "If Done Correctly It Honestly Doesn't Take That Long Like It Did Several Hundred Years Ago. Toko Would Go On To Teach Me The Other Steps Involved For Making The Katana. From Traditional Yaki-Ire Hardening Method Using Natural Clay, Charcoal, And ainwater..I. Was Taught. How To Do Make Yakiba-TsuchiA Clay Mixture Used In The Yakiire Step. I Learned The Process Of Yakiire (Heating-Huenching), How To Make The Habaki, Tsuba With A Crucible And Copper, How To Make The Saya (Scabbard) How To Make The Koiguchi (Mouth Of The Scabbard) As Well As How To Reenforce It Using Verious Materials. I Learned How To For The Sori (Katana Blade Curve) As Well Fore Verious Sori'S Using Verious Techniques.I Learned How To Forg Kissaki (Tip Of The Blade) As Well As Forge Verious Kissaki Shapes.I Learned How To Make The Tsuka (Handle Of The Katana( As Well As Traditionally Wrap It. I Learned How To Property Do Tetsufuku (Polish The Blade) And So Much More.

Tanaka:"When You Make Your Katana's Today Do You Make Them In the "Simi Modern" Style You Learned All Those Years Ago? Or Do You Use A More Modern Approch?

Hanshi Boren: Depends On What My Customer Wants And How Much They Are Willing To Spend? If I Make A Katana Out Of ToKo Mutukensi Version Of Tamahagane,The Customer Looking To Spend On The Low End $5,000 upwards To Several Hundred Thousand Dollars. If I Use A More Modern Technique Using Crucible Steels (Powder Steel And Powder Stainless Steels) Depending On The Quality Of Powder Steel(s) And How Many Layers The Customer Wants, A Customer Again On The Low End Minimum A Thousand Dollars Up To $50-$80,000."

Tanaka: How Many Katanas Do You Typically Make?

Hanshi Boren: Well To Date Sine I Was 15 And Almost 20 Years Later I Have Made 50 In Total. In The Past Few Years I Typically Only Make 2 to Maybe 4 A Year. Like I've Said Me Making A Katana Is More Of A Spiritual Thing And To Me Its Sacred Simply Because Of The Uniqueness Of How I Was Trained"

Grandmaster ToKo Inako Mutukensi Quitly Passed Away November 23rd 2020 In His Quiet Little Home In Clovis CA. Prior To His Passing; My Shidoshi ToKo Inako Mutukensi Named Me His Heir Of His Family Tradition Of Learing The Ancient Japanese Art Of Swordsmithing Called Nihonto. Making Me 29th Generation Of Master Swordsmiths or ToKos In The Lineage Of My ToKo Mutukensi. However I Am First Generation Non Japanese ToKo. I Hold A 9th Degree Black Belt In Kenpo, 9th Degree Black Belt In Kajukenbo, 8th Degree Black Belt In Danza Ryu Ju-Jitsu, 9Th Degree Black Belt In Tang Soo Do. AND Jon Sim Mu Hapkido.