How Is A Samurai Sword Polished?
Basic Introduction:
If you’ve ever been fortunate enough to hold or closely examine a real samurai sword before, you will surely agree the detail and texture of the metal is exquisite. Also, the smooth polish and shine on them is mirror like.
It is the job of the polisher to not simply get a shine on the metal, but, to reveal the incredible underlying detail of the metal in as much clarity as possible.
How is polishing done? Is it simply a case of using modern chemicals or buffing machine? Absolutely not. It is actually far more complicated and advanced than that.
Polishing is as much of an art as the forging of the blade itself, and is actually done by specially trained polishers, as you would expect. Blades are polished by stones of various coarseness, running from coarse to extremely fine, which beings out the incredible detail of the blade on all levels, and eventually creates the mirror-like smoothness and shine of the blade.
A good polisher can have hundreds of stones of varying coarseness, and it’s not unusual for some stones to cost a thousand dollars or more. Some stones are artificial (usually the coarse stones) and as more fineness is needed, the stones are usually taken from a quarry and these are the really expensive ones because they have to be extremely pure.
At all times, the stones must be of superb quality and as pure as can be, as a single scratch from a tiny grain which shouldn’t be in a particular stone can ruin the finish of the blade and desecrate it’s value. Scratches like this are all but impossible to fully repair.
Polishing usually has a couple of basic levels: shitaji, meaning foundation, and shiage, meaning finishing. Stones used in shitaji are large and stationary, and the blade is moved over them. Stones used in shiage polishing are small, thin, backed with paper and lacquer, and this time, the sword is stationary while the stones are moved over them.
I will write further articles in more detail later on for those interested in hearing more about the polishing aspect of samurai sword making.