To Polish or Not To
Polish,
I say 'YES'
As most people interested in Japanese history
know, the Nihontô (Japanese sword) was wielded by the
Mononofu, Tsuwamono, or as
they have come to be known, the Samurai. The Nihontô
is definitely a weapon, in fact the finest cutting weapon ever developed by
man. But it is much more than a weapon because its physical construction
elevates it to without
exception the highest art form in steel in the world. That may sound biased,
but I am convinced that is true after studying Nihonto
for 5 years. The Nihontô, almost from the very
beginning of its history, was certainly designed as both a weapon and an art
form. If this were not the case, and if it had been designed as a weapon alone,
swords of inferior quality and shape would have been adequate. Looking at the
examples that we have today, one comes to realize that the makers intended to
produce something of great beauty, something that would appeal to the aesthetic
sense of man.
The Nihontô has a very dynamic construction - soft Jihada (skin) steel and hard edge. The Jihada
has a definite grain in it. The Jihada's grain is
produced by the process of folding and drawing out the metal, which actually
makes the finished product a laminated blade. It has a variety of different
patterns. The Ha (edge) of the blade is tempered into a highly visible pattern
that is called Hamon. The Hamon
is produced by covering the blade with clay and then removing the clay from
along the edge until it is the correct thickness and shape to produce the Hamon desired. The sword is then heated and quenched.
Because the edge has a thinner layer of clay, it cools more quickly than the
rest of the blade. As it cools it crystallizes, producing marstintite
and pearlite steel, the substances that make the Hamon. The Hamon is part of the
overall beauty of the sword. Its styles are unlimited. And actually, it has
very little to do with the cutting ability of the blade. The more than thousand
year old Nihontô preserved in the Shôsôin
Imperial Repository of Tôdaiji temple in Nara exhibit
Suguha, straight temper patterns, of an extreme
brilliance, and a Jihada of a fine, deep, serene
nature. Technically, Suguha is more difficult to
produce than a wavy pattern.
The Togishi's job is to restore a blade to its
original shape and bring out the highlights of the Ha and Jihada.
Accordingly, he must have a good knowledge of Japanese art, literature and
history so that he can accurately judge the school, period, and general style
of the blade, and thereby do the best possible job of polishing. A Togishi must sit
in a position that is actually quite painful until he becomes accustomed to it,
usually one year after he has begun his apprenticeship. His tools are quite
simple in appearance, though difficult to master. His most important tools are
his polishing stones, which are quite expensive. Quality stones are difficult
to obtain at any price. He must possess each type of stone in varying degrees
of hardness/softness, and coarseness/fineness because each stone and each sword
is different, and he must match stone to sword. If the proper match is not
made, the stone will be ineffective regardless of the ability of the Togishi. Therefore, Togishi are
constantly searching for stones and their stock grows continually. The Togishi must polish a blade in such a way that its art is revealed and in
accord with its school and period. Some blades require that the Jihada be brought out a great deal, others call for
suppressing the Jihada to some degree. The Ha must be
given similar attention. And the two must look right together.
A topic that frequently comes up among
collectors of Nihontô is the difference between the
finishes Sashikomi and Hadôri
(also called Kanahada {iron oxide} or Keshô {cosmetic}). There are often remarks promoting Sashikomi
as the only "true" way of polishing.
Each blade requires a different style of polishing. But in general
polishing can be categorized into Shitaji, or initial
polish, and Shiage, or final polish. Detailed information about the different
stones and tools used in the respective stages, as well as the differences
between Sashikomi and Hadôri,
can be found in ‘The Art of Japanese Sword Polishing’ by Takaiwa,
Yoshihara & Kapp.
Shitaji usually takes a minimum of 10 to 12 hours per
day for four to six days, and requires many stones of varying degrees of
coarseness. The stones correspond to the different steps in Shitaji.
In order they are:
(1) Bisui (from Bizen) -
This stone is used to take off heavy rust and return the blade to its original
shape. It is very coarse and if poorly used can destroy a sword almost
immediately.
(2) Kaisei - It refines the shape and takes off the
marks of the Bisui. It was not used until recently.
(3) Chûnagura - A relatively hard stone of fine
grain, it is used to take off the marks of the Kaisei.
(3) Komanagura - It is the same stone as Chûnagura, only it is finer since it is taken from the
center of the deposit. It refines the Chûnagura
marks.
(4) Hato - This stone is very hard. It is used to
bring out the Hamon. It takes great skill and
muscular endurance to pull the blade across the stone as both surfaces are
hard. It takes several hours just to complete the Ha.
(5) Jito - The hardest stone, it is used to bring out
the Jihada. If improperly used it will scratch the
blade and ruin days of work. It requires the finest skill of all.
Shiage, or final polish, entails burnishing with a
variety of tiny thin stones and a steel stylus. It takes about three days. The
technique of Shiage varies from school to school. In general, Shiage
consists of the following steps:
(1) Tsuya - The Jihada is
finished with a Jizuya stone that has been broken
into fine pieces. It is important that the Jizuya is
chosen to match the Jihada formation. Next, the Ha is
polished with a Hazuya, which is very thin and
rectangular or square.
(2) Nugui - Nugui, or
wiping, makes the Jihada stand out evenly and makes
the sword rust resistant. In Nugui, a mixture of
sword oil and finely ground Kanahada, an ash-like
by-product of sword making, is rubbed onto the blade. During Nugui the sword takes on a darker color, sometimes a bluish
tint, the degree of which depends on the sword.
(3) Hadôri - In the Hadôri
an oval Hazuya is used to make the top of the Hamon navy in what may appear at first glance as a string
of mountains, which is in particular a characteristic of the Honami school of polishing. Today,
about 80% of Togishi prefer the Hadôri
style, and 90% of the swords submitted for the annual sword polishing contest
held at the Nippon Bijutsu Tôken
Hozon Kyôkai (NBTHK) have been polished in the Hadôri
style.
(4) Shitamigaki - In the Shitamigaki
a polishing rod, or Migakibô, is used to burnish the
area between the Shinogi, the ridge running along the
side of the blade, and the Mune, the blade's back,
until a mirror-like finish is obtained. The Shitamigaki
is the lower, preliminary polish with the Migakibô.
(5) Uemigaki - The Uemigaki
is the final polish with the Migakibô.
(6) Sugikiri - Sugikiri is
the process of defining the Yokote, the line at a 90
degree angle to the Shinogi at the tip of the blade.
(7) Narume - This is the process of imparting a
whitish color to the Bôshi, the section of the blade
forward of the Yokote.
During the Muromachi (1338 ~ 1573) and especially the
Sengoku (Warring States) periods (1470 ~ 1570), swords were not polished like
they are today. There was no time. The nicks and battle scars were removed, and
the blade was returned to its original shape. An example of a
Uchigatana with Kissaki
repair is shown HERE.
Except for those of the great Daimyô or those
specifically kept as art objects, most Nihontô only
received a Shiratogi, or navy polish. With the advent of peace in the
But the high level of technology today (particularly in the Shiage)
evolved during the Meiji era (1868 ~ 1912). During the Meiji era a law was
passed that prohibited people from wearing swords, but allowed them to own them
as works of art (Hatôrei edict). That was a drastic
change from the
During the mid 10'th Century the basis for the
traditional sword polishing we see today was developed. Honami
Kôtoku introduced burnishing around 1600 AD. However,
a polish beyond the Shitaji stage only brings out the
artistic qualities and doesn't contribute much to the "cutting
ability" of the sword. It can be safely assumed that most swords never saw
the Shiage stages, which meant additional work, and
therefore additional time and cost. Only during the peaceful
A common misconception is that all swords polished until the early Meiji period
were done in Sashikomi, where the actual outline of
the Hamon is followed as closely as possible with the
finger stones, and that Hadôri was developed after
the electric light bulb was introduced to Japan. This is only partially true. Although Sashikomi
is indeed the earlier form of (final) polishing, Hadôri
was used at least from the mid-Edo period on according to old records, and
possibly even earlier. However, the care that is exercised in doing Hadôri as we know it now, and the level of navyning of the
Hamon / Hataraki
(activities) and the degree of darkening of the Jihada
trough Nugui is something that came with the advent
of the light bulb. Electricity didn't only enable the polisher to work with a
constant, bright source of light, but makes it easier to see the various Hataraki clearly, and the Honami
family responded to the strong call of connoisseurs to refine their techniques
in accordance with the improved conditions of appreciating swords. Sashikomi works
fine with a very tight Nioiguchi / Habuchi (transition from the hardened edge to the softer
body), but doesn't help to make the secondary Nie and
Nioi show and, in the worst case, even obscures them.
Hadôri can enhance or subdue the contrast between Hada and Hamon, and gives the Hataraki more brilliance.
My understanding
of the main reason for doing the final
stages of the polish are to make the Nie and Nioi and the Hataraki they form visible.
A short explanation might be helpful: The martensite
particles that form the Habuchi are called Nioi if they are small, misty and diffuse,
and Nie if they are big enough to form individual,
discernible, shiny spots. Actually every Habuchi
consists of Nioi, and the occurrence of Nie depends on the carbon content of the steel as well as
the temperature to which the blade is heated prior to Yakiire. If the Hamon only -
or mostly - has Nioi, it is called Nioi-deki, and if the Nie
particles cover up most of the Nioi it's called Nie-deki. Nie can form clusters,
large Ara-nie and small Ko-nie
etc. Most Hataraki (like Kinsuji,
Chikei and Inazuma) are
certain patterns of Nie. Nie appeared
already on blades of the Jôkotô period, but I don't
know if by incident or with deliberation. I think we can
safely assume that in the Kotô period smiths were
able to produce controlled Nie, and that it was a
matter of preference, tradition, fashion and - to a lesser extent - material
whether they did or not.
Most Nihontô enthusiasts are aware of how important the Hada is to the Japanese sword. It is one of the major
points of aesthetic appreciation and a key factor in determining the time,
place and school of production. It is also the key to the technical quality of
any sword. It is the key not only
because well forged, even Hada is obviously desirable
and shows that the smith had a thorough knowledge and control over his skills,
but also it affects the tempering process. What is not often mentioned is that
poorly worked and forged steel will not produce or take a good Hamon. This extends to the color, brightness - the Nie and Nioi - and how they form
within and around the Hamon, and even the shape of
the Hamon itself. Whether the Hada
is Itame, Mokume, Masame or some combination dictates what kind of Hamon both in shape and intristic
characteristics can be successfully done. The various qualities found in the
steel and imparted to it during the forging process are important in this, but
the physical forging grain of the steel is at least as important. One obvious
reason is simply taste – some like the appearance of Sashikomi
better than Hadôri. The outline of the Hamon is more easily visible, even from a distance. One is
immediately able to tell that the Hamon is Chôji, not, for instance, Notare
as the navy, misty Hadôri might suggest.
I read that Sashikomi is better because it preceded Hadôri and therefore is the most traditional method – but
then we should only collect swords "in the navy", i.e. Shitaji, because that's even more traditional. We should
not forget that certain methods were developed to help us appreciate the
artistic features of the sword, and it would be foolish to disregard them. Another reason for believing Sashikomi is more "traditional" is actually a
misunderstanding: many swords outside
I'm not sure how much different views of what is
considered beautiful and what not divides the Japanese and non-Japanese
collectors in regard to polishes and Nihontô in
general. Although I think that cultural differences are too often
over-emphasized, it would be naive to assume that people all over the world
look at the same thing in the same way.
And of course there are master polishers and mediocre ones. Lacking the proper
technique and taste, a Togishi can do more harm than
good with his polish. This is true for both Sashikomi
and Hadôri, but the latter is more prone to artistic
misinterpretation, and can ruin the entire appearance, while with Sashikomi the manual skill is the most important factor. Sashikomi could
never do the bright, Milky Way like Suguba of a Tadayoshi blade justice. It would make a very active Sôshû Midareba look too ragged,
and ignores Hataraki in the Jihada.
Hadôri is not a polish that makes the beauty of the
blade accessible at first glance – one has to look "into" the blade
in order to see all its activities. It takes more time to discover all its
features, but ultimately makes visible things that Sashikomi
isn't able to bring out. If the polisher is an expert, he'll lead the way for
you in appreciating the best the blade has to offer – if you're willing to
invest a little time and an open mind. Looking
at WWII Guntô and Kazuuchimono/Shiiremono
("mass produced" swords made during times of high demand) doesn't
help to gain an understanding of the artistic nature of Nihontô, eventually it'll even ruin your eyes.
One can only learn art from art swords. All those important
swords that have a Hadôri polish do so for a very
simple reason: it reveals their beauty to their best advantage. It has nothing
(well, at least not that much) to do with fashion or an ominous
conspiracy by the NBTHK.
If a blade is in a bad or old polish, flaws might not be visible. It takes a very trained eye to judge an unpolished blade, and
even then it might hold some unpleasant surprises after being put to the
stones. Call me a coward, but I don't trust myself enough to buy a blade where
I can't see the Hada and Hamon
clearly. Forget those "study
pieces": if it's worth being bought, it should be worth being properly preserved. It should at least have enough of a polish
left in order to see its artistic possibilities. If not, get an expert's
opinion. Don't "buy a signature" when it's not confirmed by the blade
itself or by Origami.
And after you bought the sword, give it to a qualified polisher. Ask
around, look at examples of polishes, talk to the man, ask for references and
decide for yourself if you can trust him, because that's an important factor if
you're about to part with a substantial amount of money for his services. Let him
decide how to polish – after all, he studied this craft and knows what he's
doing. This has nothing to do with blind trust, but with relying on his taste
and especially his experience. Believe me, there are many, many fine points we
– who don't spend countless hours bend over the stones in an awkward body
position, handling swords of different periods and makers on a daily basis –
simply don't see.
My point is that few people are better qualified to catch the essence of a
blade than an expert polisher. That's what it's all about: to do whatever it
takes to reveal the splendor and beauty the smith embedded into the sword many
centuries ago.
Nihontô collectors
and study groups are increasing all the time as the Nihontô
gradually takes its place among the world's great art forms. Unfortunately,
many Nihontô, especially in collections outside of
Reference's:
'The Art of Japanese Sword Polishing' by Takaiwa, Yoshihara and Kapp
The Bowhay Articles
'The Connoisseur's Book of Japanese Swords' by Kokan Nagayama
Shibui Swords