2025 (Current Year) Faculty Courses Liberal arts and basic science courses Entrepreneurship courses

Advanced Course of Traditional Technology and Intercultural Collaboration

Academic unit or major: Entrepreneurship courses
Instructor(s): Rie Murakami / Eri Ota / Takashi Watanabe / Equo Kobayashi / Yuri Matsuzaki / Yakup Bektas
Class Format: Lecture/Experiment (Face-to-face)
Media-enhanced courses: -
Day of week/Period (Classrooms): Intensive
Class: -
Course Code: ENT.G451(LAW.X451)
Number of credits: 0.500.5
Course offered: 2025
Offered quarter: 1-2Q
Syllabus updated: Apr 23, 2025
Language: English

※ Courses with parentheses in the course number have different subject codes depending on the student's year of admission.

Syllabus

Course overview and goals

The sword has always been a special object in Japan. Beginning early in the Kamakura Period (1185-1333), the country began to excel in sword making, bringing about a profound transformation of the country’s political and military culture. Central to Japanese swordsmithing was the special technique of iron smelting and steel making known as tatara. This course explores this traditional method in a hands-on way. Students will build and operate a tatara furnace and smelt iron sand into steel." The class will also visit a professional swordsmith and watch and participate in the swordsmithing art process.

Through lectures, demonstrations, practical training sessions, audio-visual sources, multicultural group work, international collaboration (between students from Japan and other countries) students will:

1. Deepen their understanding of this traditional technology (Tatara iron making).
2. Understand the historical, technological, cultural background of tatara iron making and the characteristics of Japanese iron and steel.
3. Become aware of the value of preserving traditional technologies and thus willing to develop ways to make traditional technologies viable economically.

Course description and aims

1. Developing a better understanding of traditional technologies and related industries. Exploring the historical, social, and cultural contexts of tatara iron making. Evaluating tatara in comparison with traditional iron manufacturing techniques from their home countries.
2. Fostering mutual understanding through multicultural group work. Engaging in collaborative activities, learning essential skills for intercultural co-learning. Promoting cross-cultural communication and cooperation.
3. Proposing preservation or revival of traditional technologies: using Japan’s tatara as a specific example, students will also develop innovative proposals to sustain or revive traditional technologies relevant to their home countries.

Keywords

Preservation, traditional technologies, tatara, watetsu, sword

Competencies

Specialist skills
Intercultural skills
Communication skills
Critical thinking skills
Practical and/or problem-solving skills

Class flow

1. Lectures, online videos and slides
2. Collecting data by research about traditional iron making technology, related industries, their cultural and social background, and on the use of Japanese traditional iron historically and in modern times.
3. Sharing knowledge and data through multicultural group work
4. (1) Practical training in charcoal cutting, (2) tatara iron making (simplified), (3) swordsmith experience (paper knife making), and (4) Japanese sword appreciation at a wordsmithing workshop.
5. Group work (in and out of class) and group presentation proposal on how to revive and preserve tatara (and other traditional technologies)
6. Collaborating on making a group report based on group proposals

Course schedule/Objectives

	Course schedule	Objectives
Class 1	5/7 (Wed) 13:30-17:05 @ O-okayama Lecture: ・Orientation ・ Characteristics of Japanese traditional iron (difference from modern iron), Japan sword manufacturing process, appreciation of Japanese iron products	＜ Individual Assignment＞・ Watching online videos. slides, and audio-visual materials, answering quizzes, writing a report evaluating these materials (200 words in English) (until 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, May 21) - Researching the ancient steelmaking of each country (including history, social background, related industries, and connection to the present) and prepare 10-minute presentation slides. (English) (Adjustment within the group so as not to overlap) (Until 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, May 21)
Class 2	5/21 (Wed) 13:30-17:05 @ Oookayama Lecture: ・History and the place of the sword in Japan Group Work: ・Share the history of ancient ironmaking that you have researched within the group. ・Presentation: Summarize the discussions within the group and present them as a whole (commonalities, differences, characteristics)	＜Individual Assignment〉・ From the slides and other materials related to Oku-Izumo, summarize "what impressed you" and "points that are connected to the present compared to the traditional steel making of the countries you have researched". T2SCHOA submission (500 words in English) (until 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, June 4)
Class 3	5/28 (Wed) 13:30-17:05 @ Suzukakedai Practice: ・ Watching a video of Japanese sword smith, Mr. Matsuda Tsuguyasu ・Charcoal cutting Alternative day: 6/4 Wed.	＜Group Assignment〉・ Tentative proposal on "What is the value of a traditional technology in a selected country (for example, your home country) presently, and what should be done to preserve it" (free style) (Submitted in the shared folder until 9:00 a.m. on Wed., June 11) ・ Check the progress in the shared folder
Class 4	6/7 (Sat) 8:50-17:00 @ Suzukakedai Practice: ・Tatara iron making (simplified version)	＜Group Assignment〉・ Check the progress in the shared folder
Class 5	6/21 (Sat) 9:00-16:00 @ Chiba (Matsuda Tsuguyasu Sword smith factory) Lectures and Practical Training: ・Lecture on Japanese swords ・Appreciation of Japanese swords	＜Group Assignment〉・After going through practical training, brush up on your ideas and submit report as slides in a shared folder (English) (until 9:00 a.m. on Monday, June 23) 〈Individual Report〉・Report on your impression of lectures and practical training at Matsuda Tsuguyasu Sword Craftsman's Workshop (200 words in English) (submitted through T2SCHOLA) (Until 6/30 (Mon.) 9:00)
Class 6	6/25 (Wed) 13:30-17:05@O-okayama Group Work: ・Shuffle group work ・Group work ・Final presentation of "Proposal for the development and preservation of traditional Japanese iron and steel making technology"	＜ Individual Assignment＞・Based on group proposal, propose your own personal ideas for the development and preservation of your home country's traditional iron and steel making technologies that take into account the historical, cultural, and social background of the country. Submit recorded video of presentation. (in English) ・Essay for leaning from the course (format will be reported in lecture, in English) ・BEVI https://thebevi.com/about/ (Until 7/7 (Mon.) 9:00) (Submitted by T2SCOLA)

Study advice (preparation and review)

Textbook(s)

None

Reference books, course materials, etc.

Reading and audio-visual materials as required will be suggested before each class.

Evaluation methods and criteria

Lecture participation: 10%.
Survey on traditional techniques in students' own countries: 20%.
Hands-on training: 20%
Contribution to group work: 20%
Group Proposal Presentation (Group Evaluation): 10%
Individual proposal presentation video and Essay (in English), BEVI (Japanese or English): 20%

Related courses

ENT.G352(LAW.X372) ： Innovative Product Design with Traditional Technologies

Prerequisites

Students should have sufficient language proficiency to conduct group work with international students in English.
- Be interested in Japan's traditional technologies, especially, in tatara ironmaking (traditional Japanese iron and steel making).
・ENT.G352: We recommend taking Traditional Technologies and Product Design together.

Contact information (e-mail and phone) Notice : Please replace from ”[at]” to ”@”(half-width character).

Center for Entrepreneurship Education, Global Education Office, ghrd.info[at]jim.titech.ac.jp Murakami

Office hours

Please contact us in advance by e-mail