Ryuichi Okubo fixing hoe specifically designed for cutting bamboo shoots. Sparks fly when he hit the iron. (in Katsuura-cho, Tokushima Prefecture)
Winter is probably a slowtime for farmers but a busier time for blacksmiths whose job is to repair iron agricultural tools while they are not in use. Okubo Blacksmith in Katsuura-shi, Tokushima Prefecture, is no exception. Since its establishment in 1926, it’s been playing an important role in the region by making and repairing everything from hoes to kitchen knives for local farmers.
Everything from hoes to kitchen knives is made in same old traditional workshop.
Sharp sound of hammer strokes echoed in the air in the old workshop as a 33-year-old fourth-generation blacksmith, Ryuichi Okubo, hit the old hoe. He said he repairs a lot of tools for local bamboo shoot farmers mostly from Anan-shi, Tokushima Prefecture.
For most of these farmers, April is the busiest time. So they come to him to have their old or broken hoes fixed in the off season, making Ryuichi
New blade is attached to worn-out hoe
and his parents, 64-year-old father Yoshimasa and 60-year-old mother Takako, stay busy throughout the winter. They repair approximately 500 bamboo shoot hoes in total every year.
In many cases, their customers bring in their hoes when hoes’ blades are worn out. Then the smith heats the blade over red-hot burning cokes until it turns red and strikes by a hammer to adjust the shape. If the blade is completely worn out, he attaches new steel to create a new blade.
Works are done occasionally heating steel over red-hot cokes.
“Farmers’ needs are different all the time depending on the condition of the landscape and soil even in the same region. So we make hoes with different shapes and thickness to match the needs of every farmer. We want to make hoes that can be used for a long time,” said Ryuichi.
Okubo Blacksmith also makes kitchen knives for sushi restaurants, fishing gears, and all other specific iron items to order.
Okubo Blacksmith makes hoes, sickles and all other agricultural implements
There used to be 10 or more blacksmiths in Katsuura-shi but all the other ones were closed one after another as low-priced mass-produced tools and agricultural machines have gained in popularity. Today, in Tokushima Prefecture, Okubo Blacksmith is the only one blacksmith that can handle almost everything from hoes to kitchen knives.
(Feb. 7, 2016)