Japanese Swordsmith Nov. 3-8, 2013

Taro Asano, a Japanese swordsmith from Hasima, will visit the Art Department at the U of MN during the week of November 3-8.  Professor Wayne Potratz, Professor and Scholar of the College, will be building a traditional Kodai clay tatara and smelting Magnetite iron ore on W, November 6th; Taro will be here to participate in this smelt to make tama-hagane.  The smelt will be in the courtyard of the East Building, Regis Center for Art from 7 AM – 6 PM
Taro will then make a presentation on TH, November 7th at 7 PM in the Influx Auditorium, East Building of the Regis Center for Art, 405 21st Avenue South, West Bank campus U of MN Minneapolis, MN 55455.  The presentation is free and open to the public.  He is bringing several katanas with him.  His English is good and he will be accompanied by Allen Rozen, a smith from Toronto, who has been arranging Taro’s workshops in Canada and the US.
Contact Professor Potratz with questions at 612-625-0021 or visit his website at http://www.ironwain.com