[KAI Tamatsukuri] Discover Izumo's Thousand-Year History with a Hands-on Craft Experience: "Forge a Lifelong Tray in a Sacred Blacksmith's Workshop"

Image: Scene of forged tray making

"KAI Tamatsukuri," a hot spring ryokan in Tamatsukuri Onsen, Shimane Prefecture, where all guest rooms feature open-air baths, will host "Forge a Lifelong Tray in a Sacred Blacksmith's Workshop," a hands-on craft experience to discover Izumo's thousand-year history, from April 1 to June 25, 2026, and from September 2 to November 26, 2026. The experience centers on "Tatara Iron Making," which supported the prosperity of the Izumo region. Participants will visit "Kaji Kobo Hiromitsu," a blacksmith workshop that has inherited forging techniques since the Edo period. Through the "forging experience" in a sacred blacksmith's workshop and conversations with the blacksmith, guests can feel the culture passed down from the age of myths to modern lifestyles. After the experience, a stay at KAI Tamatsukuri allows guests to trace the roots of the Yamata no Orochi legend and experience the thousand-year history nurtured in the Izumo region through "Tatara Iron Making," a technique for Japanese swords that has continued to the present day. This initiative is part of "Teza no Hitotoki" (A Moment of Craftsmanship), a local cultural experience conducted with artisans and producers, which has been implemented at all KAI facilities since 2021.

Background

"Tatara Iron Making" is an ancient Japanese iron-making technique. This traditional method, which uses iron sand and charcoal and relies on human power to blow air, boasts a history of over 1,400 years in Izumo. Its excellence is recorded in the "Izumo Fudoki" (Ancient Records of Izumo Province), and during its peak from the late Edo period to the Meiji era, approximately 80% of the iron produced nationwide came from the foothills of the Chugoku Mountains, primarily in the Izumo region. The distribution of iron also brought cultural artifacts from various parts of the country and fostered a vibrant local culture akin to that of a capital city. Tatara iron making has been a crucial element forming the foundation of Izumo culture from ancient times to the present day. KAI Tamatsukuri, with its concept of "An Inn to Enjoy Izumo Culture," has previously offered hospitality centered on Izumo culture, such as Iwami Kagura and the charm of Japanese sake. This time, we developed this plan to allow guests to intimately experience the thousand-year history inherited from the age of myths, through the Izumo culture born from Tatara iron making.

Feature 1: Create a One-of-a-Kind Forged Tray, Sparking in a Sacred Blacksmith's Workshop

Image: Scene of forged tray making
Image: Forged tray

"Kaji Kobo Hiromitsu" began with Tatara operations in the Edo period and is the only workshop in eastern Shimane Prefecture that has inherited the ancient techniques of Japanese sword forging for ten generations...