本帖最后由 choi 于 6-5-2017 15:19 编辑
This posting deals with steel production in ancient Japan.
(1) The Steel Story. WorldSteel Association, undated.
http://www.worldsteel.org/steelstory/
Quote:
"13th Century BC Gift of the gods[:] Primitive man's first encounter with iron was from meteorite iron, which he quickly learned could be shaped to serve his needs.
"Invention of steel -- iron and charcoal come together [:] Early blacksmiths discovered that iron became harder and stronger when left in charcoal furnaces.
"3rd Century AD China steels the show [:] Chinese craftsmen manufactured high-quality steel, likely having something similar to the Bessemer process (which was only developed in Europe in the 19th century) as early as the second century BC.
* Bessemer process
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bessemer_process
(2) steel
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steel
("The carbon content of steel is between 0.002% and 2.1% by weight for plain iron–carbon alloys. These values vary depending on alloying elements such as manganese, chromium, nickel, iron, tungsten, carbon and so on")
(3)
(a) The Colliery and Metal Miner. vol 17. The Colliery Engineer Co, 1897, at page 411
https://books.google.com/books?i ... sand%22&f=false
("Most of the coal beds found in Hokkaido and in Kiushiu [now transliterated as Kyūshū 九州], the two most important coal districts in Japan * * * Nothing authentic is known as to the date of the discovery of coal at this place. * * * To show the poverty of Japan as an iron and steel producing nation, I need only call attention to the output of iron and steel [in Japan which was not much]. Iron is produced chiefly in Iwate, Shimane, Tottori and Hiroshima. * * * The ferrous ores of Iwate 岩手[県, in northeast of 本州 Honshū], those of the Kamaishi iron mines, are lode iron, and produce iron of very excellent quality. Oron from Shimane, Tottori 鳥取 [県; on the east of Shimane Prefecture] and Hiroshima is produced chiefly from iron sand and is well suited for manufacturing steel")
* Kamaishi, Iwate 釜石 (市, which started stell meaking only in 1857, in the midst of an arm race between pro-emperor and pro-shōgunate feudal lords: en.wikipedia.org)
(b) mining in Japan
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mining_in_Japan
("Japanese coal is found at the extreme ends of the country, in Hokkaidō and Kyūshū, which have, respectively, 45 and 40 percent of the country's coal deposits. Kyūshū's coal is generally of poor quality and hard to extract, but the proximity of the Kyūshū mines to ports facilitates transportation. In Hokkaido, the coal seams are wider and can be worked mechanically, and the quality of the coal is good. Unfortunately, these mines are located well inland, making transportation difficult")
(4)
(a) Iron Sand. In Tale of the Tatara. Hitachi Metals, undated
www.hitachi-metals.co.jp/e/tatara/nnp020603.htm
("Along with New Zealand and Canada, the Japanese archipelago is said to be one the world's three primary sources of iron sand, so it naturally follows that iron would have been made from iron sand since ancient times in Japan"/ came from volcanos)
(b) ironsand
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ironsand
(photo/ "Ironsand has a tendency to heat up in direct sunlight, causing temperatures high enough to cause minor burns. As such it forms a hazard in New Zealand at popular west-coast surf beaches like Piha")
No wonder the black beach sand in TAIWAN seashores is hopping hot (one can not stand on it in summer daytime).
--------------------------------------
(5) CW Nicol, Passing on Ancient Steel Production Techniques. Japan Times, Oct 1, 2016.
www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2016/1 ... duction-techniques/
Note:
(a) Japanese-English dictionary:
* satetsu 砂鉄 【さてつ】 (n): "iron sand; magnetite sand" (Both "sa" and "tstsu" are Chinese pronunciations.)
* tsurugi 剣【けん(P); つるぎ】 (n): "sword (originally esp. a doubled-edged sword)"
* mono-no-ke 物の怪 【もののけ】 (n): "(vengeful) ghost; specter"
(b) "the first sword wielded in Japan was said to have been cut from the tail of an eight-headed serpentine monster [八岐大蛇/ 八俣遠呂智] by Susanoo, the rambunctious storm god of summer."
Susanoo-no-Mikoto
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susanoo-no-Mikoto
(Su-sa-no-o 須佐之男; is the Shinto god of the sea and storms)
(i) The "o" is Japanese pronunciation for 雄/男/夫. The pronunciation of "su" and "sa" are here represented by kanji 須 and 佐, but can be by many other kanji with the same respective pronunciations.
(ii) This sword found in the tail is Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi 草薙の剣, meaning 'grasscutter sword': en.wikipedia.org.
(c) "if you watch Hayao MIYAZAKI's 宮崎 駿 superb, and meticulously researched, 1997 animation film, 'Princess Mononoke もののけ姫,' you'll get a good idea how tamagane misspelled; should be 'tamahagane'] steel was made."
(d) "in these [Japan] isles the metal [iron] first began to be made during the Yayoi Period 弥生時代 [named after the 弥生町（現在の東京都文京区弥生）, where artifacts from that Peiord was first uncovered in 1884] (200 BC to AD 250)."
(e) "in 1977, that [tatara] traditional method was revived following the formation of the Japanese Society for the Preservation of Japanese Art Swords 日本美術刀剣保存協会, and with the cooperation of the Agency for Cultural Affairs 文化庁 [under 文部科学省] and the Hitachi Steel Co [actually: Hitachi Metals, Ltd 日立金属株式会社] in Shimane Prefecture. At present, the only town in Japan where a tatara furnace is used is Okuizumo 奥出雲 [町, on the southwestern border of City of Yaugi] in Shimane Prefecture, where it is normally operated in winter at the Yasugi works 安来製作所 of Hitachi Steel."
(f) "In the smelting process, which takes 72 hours, some 12 to 13 tons of charcoal is used to transform 10 tons of satetsu iron sand into 2½ tons of iron in the form of an amorphous mass known as kera. This lump is then dragged away and cooled by immersing it in water before it can be reheated and beaten into steel — but to get at the kera, the clay tatara has to be broken down. Hence after every smelting, the boat-shaped furnace needs to be remade by hand."
http://www.wakou-museum.gr.jp/en/
("During operation, 10tons iron sand and 12tons charcoal are put into the furnace ever 30minites based on the decisions of 'Murage' who is the chief engineer and manager of Tatara operation. It takes almost 70hours for one Tatara operation to produce 'Kera' [鋂] which may contain 'Tama-Hagane.' The weight of 'Kera' is around 3tons and may contain 'Tama-Hagane' [玉鋼] around 1 to 1.5 tons. Because 'Kera' is formed at the bottom of the furnace, the furnace walls are broken down to pull out and cool down 'Kera.' And then 'Kera' is broken into smaller pieces using large weights and small hammers to classify [sort] 'Tama-Hagane' and other grades such as pig iron, slags ad others. (see Photo-4) Classification work was done by the people who were well-experienced and pig iron was also decarburized into steel at 'Tatara' sites")
(g) "The master in charge of the smelting at Hitachi Steel's plant is an amazing gentleman named Murage Kihara [Kihara 木原 is a surname] * * * the Broadcasting System of San-in, Inc 株式会社山陰放送, which serves Shimane and neighboring Tottori Prefecture, asked me to take part in a television documentary about school students making tamagane steel. * * * Several weeks ago, in August, I joined 31 students, both boys and girls, from Yokota Middle School [奥出雲町立] 横田中学校 in Okuizumo to make steel under Mr. Kihara’s supervision.
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发表于 6-5-2017 15:12:23
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