Background report of japanese premium steels including ATS

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wakou
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Joined: Mon Apr 21, 2003 1:12 am

Background report of japanese premium steels including ATS

Post by wakou »

Yasuki hagane(preimium steel group in Japan) are used for most cutlerys respectfully in Japan. Although tamahagane(jewel steel for samurai sword), Sweden steel, Phenix steel born in British, etc is used also, these are special case. Japanese blacksmiths all over Japan make the cutlery with forging Yasuki steel unexceptionally. Yasuki steel is produced at the Yasugi works of Hitachi Metals, Ltd. The predecessor of Hitachi Metals, Ltd. is Unpaku steel company founded on the background in Yasugi in 1891. A subsidiary of yasugi works has the technology of the wakou(Japan steel) production which obtains raw steel of swords,etc from the premium iron sand of the Izumo. Yasugi works was absorbed by Hitachi and the company name was changed by Hitachi Metals, Ltd. in 1967.
The land of Izumo of Shimane province with the Yasugi works was famous as a place of production of ancient tamahagane from ancient times. Tamahagane is made from iron sand with the high purity called "Masa" which can be taken at a mountain or a river abundantly. And also the way of taking sand is called "canna nagashi" using the flow of a river, and iron specific gravity -- it is simple, but it was able to extract in large quantities by the skillful method.
Furthermore, the rich forest resources of a mountains turned into a source of supply to which charcoal required for iron manufacture is not exhausted. tamahagane of Izumo produced by the "tatara steelmaking process" which became famous for the movie "Princess Mononoke" was very good, and was shipped all over Japan as raw materials for edged tools including a Japanese sword. When the modernistic steelmaking method which obtains iron from an iron ore stone was introduced using the huge blast furnace, the "tatara furnaces" which existed in Japanese every place declined quickly. However, only tamahagane of Izumo survived till the early stages of 1900s. Hitachi Metals, Ltd. which absorbed Unpaku steel company inherited the process of wako which used "Masa" sand as materials taking advantage of such a geographical advantage, and it has resulted by the end of today. The wakou museum in yasugi can be asked about the history of such iron manufacture, it can be known, and it is said that Hayao Miyazaki also got the inspiration of the people of tatara steel making of "Princess Mononoke" from these exhibition things.
After that, Yasugi works had developed same directly deoxidation method as tatara without using charcoal made from woods. And also they had developed modern steelmaking process one after another. For example, ESR had been developed by USSR(now Ukuraine) under the Cold War period. ESR means Electro-Slag Remelting method. ESR process gets a fine solidification structure of steels without using vacuum process. After that, it put in practical use in first case of west side countries by themselves. This was secret, so it was second case in Japan on official memorial. But a part of Russian people have known this fact. So yasuki steels are also now famous special steels for cutlery, auto motive parts, razor blade, heat resistance turbine blade of jet engines, tool steels. ATS-34, GIN-1, SLD(D2) are most famous and premium steel for custom knife all over the world.
And also pure high plain carbon steels like a tamahagane, Shirogami,Aogami are famous as professional wood-craftmen or chefs cutlery use in Japan. Those steels are considered because it is adjusted that it may become a good fine microstructure at the time of use. However, edge-performance is greatly dependent on skills of craftsmen who makes them from such steels,etc.
By the way, in case of steels indication, it is called "Yasuki". And also in case of place indication, it is called "Yasugi" historically.

(refference)
http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/mh/Mak ... Part1.html
http://www.joho-shimane.or.jp/dentou/hagane/giho_e.htm
http://www.hitachi-metals.co.jp/e/corp/ ... _yasu.html
http://www.joho-shimane.or.jp/dentou/hagane/index_e.htm
http://www.misuzu-hasami.co.jp/yasukikou.html
http://www.hitachi-metals.co.jp/tatara/
http://www.wakou-museum.gr.jp/
wakou
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Pushbutton
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Post by Pushbutton »

Great post Wakou and great links. Looks like you put a lot of effort into this and we all thank you for it.
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jhoonday
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Joined: Sat May 15, 2010 3:15 pm

Re: Background report of japanese premium steels including ATS

Post by jhoonday »

If I'm mistaken they are also the 154CM Steel the American equivalent of the ATS-34 premium grade stainless steel made exclusively in Japan, owned by Hitachi Steels. These are also very helpful to Japanese. I really found this thread very informative since I am now into sword research for my major subject.
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