Traditional craft
Chiba Koshogu
千葉工匠具
Hand-forged tools and scissors for craftsmen from across Chiba, a smithing tradition rooted in the iron sand of the Boso Peninsula.
Key facts
- Officially recognised
- 30 November 2017
- Type
- Metalwork
- Region
- Kanto
- Official name in Japanese
- 千葉工匠具
- Official area (in Japanese)
- 船橋市、館山市、松戸市、野田市、成田市、柏市、市原市、流山市、鴨川市、鎌ヶ谷市、君津市、南房総市、香取市、いすみ市、印旛郡酒々井町
Tools for every trade
Koshogu means craftsmen's tools. Chiba's smiths make blades and tools of iron and carbon steel, and finish every piece by hand. They work across many towns in Chiba, including Funabashi, Tateyama, Matsudo, Noda, Narita, Kashiwa and Kamogawa. It was designated as a traditional craft in 2017.
Matched, shaped and hardened
- Scissors are made by ha-awase: the two blades are matched to each other with hammer or file.
- Other tools are shaped by hammering or chiselling, or cut out to shape.
- Blades are quenched and tempered, cooling in water or oil.
- Straightening, sharpening and finishing are done by hand.
Iron sand of Boso
The Boso Peninsula is a source of iron sand, and iron making and smithing have gone on here since ancient times. In the Edo period, large river works, new rice fields, dairying and warhorse breeding all needed tools, and the skills to make them grew. After the Meiji Restoration the range widened, and Chiba became known nationwide for craftsmen's tools.
Good to know
- Ask a smith to show how hand-matched scissor blades meet.
- Pack blades in checked luggage, never in your carry-on.
Questions travellers ask
What does koshogu mean?
Craftsmen's tools.
When was Chiba Koshogu designated?
On 30 November 2017.
Where it comes from
More crafts from the same area
Heritage stories from the same area
Sources
We checked the facts on this page against these sources.