Forge a shuriken in steel or cast a small weapon in tin. Neither class makes a full-size katana.
The short answer
In Kyoto you can make a small ninja weapon, not a katana. Kendo Experience runs a forging class near Hieizanguchi station, where you shape a steel shuriken heated to around 800 °C, and a tin workshop near Demachiyanagi, where you cast a piece of 8 to 10 cm. The tin workshop takes children from 5, with a parent for anyone under 15, and forged pieces fly home in checked baggage only.
Pick a day, or the first and last day of your stay in Kyoto. We check the booking calendar of every session and show which ones still have places.
Type: Weapon forging
Type: Tin casting
People search for sword making in Kyoto and find two workshops, both run by Kendo Experience in the north of the city. What you make is small: a steel shuriken in the forging class, or a tin weapon of 8 to 10 cm in the casting workshop. The steel class works hotter and longer; the tin class takes children from 5.
| Photo | Experience | Material | What you make | Min. age | Duration | Where in Kyoto | Reviews ↕ | Price ↕ | Book |
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Ninja Weapon Forging Kendo Experience (Studio NIN) | Steel, heated to around 800 °C | Shuriken with a kanji engraving; kunai at extra cost | Not stated | 2.5 h | 1 min from Hieizanguchi station | ★ 4.8 (683) | $146per person | Book now |
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Ninja Weapon in a Tin Workshop Kendo Experience (Studio NIN) | Tin, melts at about 230 °C | Ninja weapon of 8 to 10 cm or a shogun mask | 5 | 2–2.5 h | 3 min from Demachiyanagi station | ★ 5.0 (177) | $108per person | Book now |
Per-person prices are loaded from GetYourGuide and include taxes and booking fees. Paid extras such as the kunai at the forging class are not part of the price shown.
Each session with the same facts, so age limits, location and what you actually do can be read across. Tap a session to see its programme, venue and house rules.
Forge a shuriken at around 800 °C, engrave a kanji and take it home.
At the studio by Hieizanguchi station you heat steel to around 800 °C, forge your own shuriken and engrave it with a kanji. The finished piece is yours to keep.
A kunai is available for an extra charge. Forged weapons can only travel in checked luggage, and import rules in your home country apply.
About 1 minute on foot from Hieizanguchi station (Eizan line).
Details as the studio lists them on its booking page; points it leaves open are marked as not stated in our tables.
Cast a small ninja weapon of 8 to 10 cm in tin. Open from age 5.
In the tin workshop near Demachiyanagi station you cast a small ninja weapon of 8 to 10 cm and take it home. Children can join from 5, which makes it one of the easier formats for families.
According to a review, a knife or a mask costs extra.
Studio about 3 minutes on foot from Demachiyanagi station.
Details as the studio lists them on its booking page; points it leaves open are marked as not stated in our tables.
The meeting point is the red postbox in front of Hieizanguchi station, about a minute up the hill. You change into a samue work jacket and a tenugui headband, and the instructor heats the steel to around 800 °C. You shape the shuriken, engrave a kanji and take the finished piece home. The class is listed at 2.5 hours; one reviewer needed three.
Reviews describe a guided workshop more than a smithy. One guest wrote that the blade was heated for them and that most of their time went into shaping it on a sanding machine. Another found the kunai, which costs extra, smaller than hoped at 13 cm and largely finished before the class began. A family with teenagers, on the other hand, valued taking part in each stage. Go in expecting to finish a weapon, not to learn smithing.
Tin melts at about 230 °C, low enough for beginners and children to pour it with staff at their side. You choose a ninja weapon or a shogun mask, pour the metal, then cut and finish the piece. The piece comes in a box. Children from 5 can take part, and anyone under 15 needs a parent or guardian with them. One reviewer reports that the knife and the mask cost extra.
Bring your own drinks, as food is not allowed in the studio. The workshop is three minutes on foot from Demachiyanagi, where the Eizan railway and the Keihan line meet.
The forging studio states that finished weapons fly in checked baggage only, never in your cabin bag, and a tin shuriken is best packed the same way. Customs rules for throwing stars and blades differ from country to country, so look up yours before you pick a kunai. Replica swords are on sale at the forging studio, and the same luggage rule applies to them.
The three-star and one-star reviews both come from the forging class and describe the same gap: less hammering than expected, and a kunai that was smaller and more finished than hoped. The tin workshop had no critical reviews among those we collected.
“While obviously for tourists this was really a fantastic activity which we all enjoyed including my 15 year old daughter and 18 year old son. You really get to participate in the various stages of creating a ninja weapon which you also get to take home with you.”
“Saiwan was an amazing instructor. We went through all of the stages from pouring the molten tin to cutting and finishing. She was patient and worked through our lack of skills …”
“The guys were very friendly and helpful. They explained everything so well and har a good sense of humor about it.”
“I thought we would be more hands on for this experience it wasn't really explained before booking that you don't really do any forging. … overall we used a sand machine to shape the blade for 10 minutes and hammered our weapon that was heated for us.”
“The size of the kunai is very disappointing. … what I received was an almost finished miniature kunai (measuring 13cm) with most of the forging work already completed.”
“Sawan was very kind and a great teacher!”
Reviews written by guests after their session, from GetYourGuide.
Not in the workshops compared here. The forging class makes a steel shuriken, with a kunai as an extra-cost option, and the casting workshop makes a tin piece of 8 to 10 cm or a mask.
The tin casting workshop takes children from 5, with a parent or guardian for anyone under 15. The forging class states no minimum age; a reviewer took a 15-year-old.
It is charged on top of the session price. The amount is shown on the product page and is not part of the price in our tables.
Take the Eizan railway to Hieizanguchi. The meeting point is the red postbox in front of the station, about a minute on foot.
Only in checked baggage. Check the import rules of your home country before you travel.
Every bookable samurai and ninja session in Kyoto.
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