Sanintabi! 山陰旅！Travel Shimane 島根 and Tottori 鳥取 in Japan: Sugaya Tatara 菅谷たたら

During your travel tour through Unnan, 雲南, Shimane 島根, stop to take a look at one of the best historical sites in Japan.

Shimane Prefecture Best Scenic Attraction Award 2009:
Sugaya Tatara in Unnan City Yoshida Town 　島根県　雲南市　吉田町　菅谷たたら
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Sugaya Tatara is the last remaining original Tatara steel manufacture building in the world. It was the inspiration for scenes in Miyazaki Hayao's animated film "Princess Mononoke".

Steel was manufactured here during the Edo period for 170 years from 1751 to 1921. Its construction was at the end of the tatara steel manufacture era and this site was said to be in the ideal location in regards to climate and raw materials.

The furnace is in the centre of the main pavilion. It is destroyed after each operation and the composition of clay and position of air intakes are the most difficult part of its construction.

Under the furnace is a 4m deep semi-permanent underground apparatus. Its main purpose is to regulate temperature and humidity.

In Tatara steel manufacture, iron sand is used as the raw material and charcoal is used as the fuel. One operation would take 4 days and 3 nights. Approximately 8 tonnes of iron sand and 13 tonnes of charcoal produce a mass of iron weighing 2-2.5 tonnes. The mass of iron is called a "Kera" and costs more than $100,000US, over 100 times as expensive as modern steel.

When the furnace is destroyed, only the large mass of iron remains. Using wood logs, the workers roll it out of the main pavilion and into the "Iron pond" where it is cooled immediately. In the next stage it is taken to the next building with the Oudouba, a one tonne iron weight lifted by a watermill that is used to crush the mass of iron. It is then transferred to the Motogoya, the main administration building where a medium sized, then a small sized weight further break up the iron. The Motogoya also houses the residence of the head of the village. The reason for this is so the head of the family could watch over the workers dealing with the very precious steel.

Finally the iron is assessed and separated into various classes of purity. The highest grade class called Tamagahane was used exclusively for Japanese swords. Middle grade classes of steel were used for knives, saws etc., and the lowest grade pig iron was used for pots and other utensils.

Tamagahane steel was packed into boxes, whilst other steel was wrapped in straw bundles, each weighing 45kg. The attached to bundles to a horse totalling 90kg and transported the steel down the mountain to Mitoya where it was loaded onto river boats to be transported all over Japan. At the height of its prosperity, the Izumo region produced 80% of the steel in Japan.

The Japanese Judas Tree in front of Sugaya Tatara turns an amazing red and appears on fire, much like the flames involved in steel making. It remains in this state for less than a week at the start of spring. This amazing view won the 2009 Shimane Prefecture Best Scenic Attraction award.
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