Sword Polishing Studio
Making an Osoraku-zukuri Tanto
In January 2023, I had the chance to visit a famous Japanese sword smith and made an osoraku-zukuri tanto with him. The initial forging work was done by the smith and I took over from the clay design till the completion of the whole project.
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Clay and Tempering
One of the most important features of Japanese swords, the hamon, is produced by putting a layer of clay on the blade and tempering in water. The clay results in different cooling speed of the cutting edge and the back of the blade, making the cutting edge more rigid and the back more flexible.
Polishing
Once the tempering work is done, the blade is polished using various water-stones. The whole polishing process can be divided into 2 stages, the foundation polish and the finishing polish.
Making the Shirasaya
The shirasaya is usually made during the process of the foundation polish, so that it will not damage the final polish work. A good shirasaya should have smooth lines that goes along well with the blade's shape, while being air-tight to provide protection to the blade.
