It is certainly possible for you to take courses in the Japanese sword arts through our swordsmithing school, Tomboyama Nihontō Tanren Dōjō. We posted the 2010 classes schedule about a month ago, and students are already beginning to reserve their place in the sessions. Our 5-day Basic Forging Course is by far our most popular course, but we offer classes in all of the Japanese sword Arts.

Generally, a swordsmithing apprenticeship is not paid for in a monetary form, but rather in labor or skill provided for the common good. Because of the “teacher-apprentice” relationship is, by it’s nature, a very close and personal relationship which lasts a lifetime, and the terms by which the apprentice repays the debt to his teacher must be determined on an individual basis.

For a chance to learn swordsmithing firsthand, I would highly suggest looking into one of our Basic Forging Courses. Although a few other bladesmiths do offer forging classes, as far as we know, our swordsmithing school is the only one of its kind, offering a full curriculum in the Japanese sword. Without the cost or commitment of an apprenticeship, our Basic Forging Course gives students a chance the learn firsthand with an experienced teacher. The knowledge learned during class should allow students to build their own inexpensive, yet efficient and effective propane forge fire, and to begin forging and learning on one’s own after the class.

While there are indeed several knife-makers located in Idaho, there are no swordsmiths of which we are aware.

If you interested in truly learning the Art of swordsmithing, with only a handful of swordsmiths working professionally in the US, you will most likely need to travel outside of Idaho for instruction.

We a offer 5-day Basic Forging Course at Dragonfly Forge’s swordsmithing school here in neighboring Oregon, which is a great chance for firsthand forging experience under the eye of an experienced smith and teacher, Michael Bell. Although a few bladesmiths do also offer forging classes, we believe we are the only school in the world offering the variety or quality of courses we do. Students of the school have traveled from across the country, as well as internationally from Canada and Europe to attend. Please visit our swordsmithing school’s homepage http://www.tomboyama.com for information on our 2010 classes.

Although a great many forging techniques are shared by both blacksmithing and swordsmithing, they should be considered different, separate arts.

I would suggest looking into the Artist Blacksmiths Association of North America (ABANA). There are several blacksmith associations, some states even have their own (California Blacksmiths Association comes to mind). The website anvilfire.com also has an article on becoming a blacksmith. You could also perhaps begin your search by looking for individual local blacksmiths. Luckily, blacksmiths are more common than swordsmiths, so perhaps finding a teacher will be easier.