One time glory
At only 8 o'clock, Mr. Han was already sweating profusely, having just finished the pineapple knife ordered by his neighbor. Quickly wiping the sweat from his forehead, he lifted the knife to examine each detail as he had done for nearly 40 years. Mr. Han said that the traditional blacksmithing profession was most prosperous in the years after liberation until the 2000s. Because people reclaimed land, did agriculture ... while at that time there were not many machines, the demand for planks, knives, hammers, hoes, scythes... was great. Even during the harvest season, his father's blacksmith workshop made thousands of scythes but could not sell enough. Many families prospered and became famous from this blacksmithing profession.
Mr. Do Van Han diligently keeps the fire of blacksmithing alive. Photo: PHAM HIEU
“In the past, blacksmithing must have been quite lucrative, right?”, I asked. As if reminded of a golden age, Mr. Han continued to talk proudly about the blacksmithing profession. To make a plank or a knife, two blacksmiths had to use two hammers, one big and one small, to continuously hit the iron or steel billet, shape it, cool it, adjust it, hit it again, temper it, grind it… it sometimes took half a day to get a good product, but in return, blacksmithing brought in a good income.
While chatting, Mr. Han picked up another piece of pre-heated steel billet and put it into the stamping machine to crush it. The steel piece was long and red hot, but with just a few tilting movements from the skilled craftsman's hand, it quickly formed into a jet-black bib knife... "To become a master blacksmith, a blacksmith must study for 16 years, including 4 years of learning to blow fire by hand, 4 years of hammering, 4 years of sharpening and finally 4 years of being a luthier. Therefore, the blacksmithing profession is usually passed down from father to son and few people learn this profession," Mr. Han said.
He said that when he was young, he often went to his father's blacksmith shop to watch his father and uncles forge and destroy tools. His father beat him all the time, but he was not afraid and instead enjoyed exploring . "Blacksmithing is in my blood, so even if I was scolded, I would still go to the blacksmith shop to destroy it. When I was 11 years old, my father let me "initiate" the profession. Now I have nearly 40 years of experience in the profession," Mr. Han said.
According to Mr. Han, in the past, in U Minh Thuong, there were many blacksmiths, in addition to the blacksmiths on the shore, there were also mobile blacksmiths on the river using large boats. But now, agriculture is mostly mechanized, even knives and hammers have more and more varieties, most of the products are cold-forged so the price is cheaper, from there the income of the traditional blacksmith profession is not as before, many people have retired. "In U Minh Thuong, there are only 3 blacksmiths left", Mr. Han said.
Keep the fire burning
In U Minh Thuong commune, Mr. Do Van Tuong, residing in Minh Kien hamlet, is a veteran who still maintains the blacksmithing profession. Although he is over the age of “thất thập cổ lai hy”, his forge is still red hot every day. Mr. Tuong said that the traditional blacksmithing profession is no longer as bustling as before, but every day his forge still resounds with the sound of hammers and anvils as a way to preserve the profession that he has been attached to for almost his entire life.
Mr. Tuong is both Mr. Han’s father and teacher in the traditional blacksmithing profession. Sometimes, Mr. Han advised his father to retire because of his old age, but he only received a short reply: “I will only retire when I can no longer hold the hammer.”
While the conversation with the "artisans" was lively, Mr. Tuong became a little regretful: "I have Han to take over the profession, but I don't know about the next generation." Having said that, Mr. Tuong went to the forge, took the hammer blade that his neighbor sent yesterday to temper, and put it into the burning fire. The hammer blade gradually turned red, Mr. Tuong took it out and put it into the hammer press to adjust the hammer blade, then dipped it in a bucket of water, and finally put it into the grinder, making long, bright red sparks that looked extremely skillful. All of this was completed quickly in more than 10 minutes. "Nowadays, blacksmithing is very popular, the hardest steps such as hammering and blowing fire are done by machines, so I can still do it, but if I retire, I will miss this job very much," Mr. Tuong said.
However, Mr. Tuong and his son acknowledged that the blacksmithing profession is inherently hard, the working environment is hot, exposed to coal smoke and a lot of noise, so not everyone wants to stick with it. “My father and son’s generation has a deep passion for the profession, so they are passionate about the profession and the career. The other day, my youngest son said that when he grows up, he will follow in his footsteps, but now he is still in middle school and doesn’t know what will happen. It’s fate,” Mr. Han said sadly, his eyes looking far away…
PHAM HIEU
Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/giu-lua-nghe-ren-a468415.html
Comment (0)