Craftsman Emulates the Oriental Masters
Rick A. Walker appreciates fine craftsmanship. “It’s kind of a link with the past,” said the former blacksmith, who has studied the mastery of early artisans and contends that fine craftsmanship “is alive and well because there are people like me around.”
Walker’s current interest is hand-forged Japanese swords, some with modern and futuristic handles.
“Some Japanese blades are hundreds of years old and are still some of the finest metalwork ever produced,” he said. “I enjoy the way the Japanese approach craftsmanship. They are very precise.”
He said that the Oriental craftsman is held in high regard but that America does not support master craftsmen.
“I think this country is missing the boat,” he said. “There are a lot of great artist craftsmen in America.”
Walker, 44, feels that it is challenging to produce a blade of high quality the way it was done years ago by the Japanese.
“There are some compromises,” noted Walker, who said that “if you are not Japanese, you’re not really touched with the cultural aspect of how it is being done.”
But he said his earlier studies and blacksmithing are an enormous help. “Blacksmiths are common throughout the world, and the basic work is all the same,” said Walker, who apprenticed as a blacksmith at Knott’s Berry Farm.
Walker, a graduate of Lakewood High School and Cal State Long Beach, recently exhibited his swords at Long Beach, where he once taught blacksmithing. He is working on a master’s in fine arts there.
The blade collection represents five years of work and research. He said each blade took upwards of three months of work.
The Santa Ana resident’s full-time effort, however, is teaching jewelry-making, metal smithing, and sculpture in metal and wood at Spurgeon Intermediate School in Santa Ana.
His students benefit from his push for excellence.
“I try to expose the kids to craftsmanship and how it connects with the past,” Walker said. “Some of them find it fascinating.
“There is some validity in giving a history lesson by making something with a hammer. I’m not at all surprised that a lot of them pick it up very quickly and get excited with it.”
But for himself, “Japanese sword-making has captivated my interest for a long time, and I set out to learn all the techniques.”
“Today’s world seems to be hung up on having everything instantly, and if they can’t have it instantly, they’re not interested,” he said, calling it “TV dinner consciousness.”
“A lot of those people don’t want something that will last three or four generations. They want something that will break so they can buy another one. They obviously have a lack of knowledge about craftsmanship.”
Much of what he makes is created from his collection of old tools used by yesteryear artisans.
