How to Restore a Japanese Sword.
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- Опубликовано: 5 мар 2012
- Polishing a 450 year old Japanese sword the traditional way. Thanks to Chris Bowen for his constant pressure for me to better my skills. Polishing a traditional Japanese Sword properly takes years of training and is impossible to learn by oneself. I was lucky enough to learn from 2 trained Japanese sword polishers over the course of several years and they will remain un-named for "political" reasons in the elitist discipline of the Japanese sword collecting world.
Beware of amateur polishers using non traditional methods including acid which ruins a sword, and also beware of sword merchants or brokers who are very keen to take your money and send your sword to Japan for years of promises chasing "papers" and traditional polishing by "The best licensed polishers in Japan", while your sword makes it way to polishing students and you pay a premium... Enjoy your sword for what it is, seek out reputable sword polishers if needed or enjoy as is - you are holding history.
Please enjoy my short video and do not use it as a learning tool. I am no longer taking on anymore work as I am booked for several years with 2 large collections to restore...and then my own collection should take me into retirement.
Thanks for watching!
Amazing work Louis, Cant wait to have my wakizashi back from you!
Totally impressive. The best polishing video I've ever seen. Arigato!
I see a lot of comments below that criticize and even insult the craftsmanship of a katana as well as the relationship of a samurai with his katana. I don't mean to judge those opinions in any way and i will not, but i am compelled to share my understanding of the meaning, "The Katana is the Soul of a Samurai". For a long time being a sword enthusiast I've heard this idea echoed in anime, documentaries, and the mouths of practitioners and historians alike.
While often times this can sound romanticized and cliche there are two ways i like to respect this relationship.
1) While in today's world we can create uniform metals, much stronger and resilient than ancient nihontos, the process in which one was made was akin to the development of a disciplined, functional, and unique person.
-From ore infused sand, tamahagane was extracted. Collected, heated, treated, beaten and molded. From sand, from the mundane, from the meaning of raw. through perseverance, dedication and intent. Vision, technique, and skill turn raw materials into a tool of what i feel we can all agree, pure beauty.
This is the journey of the practitioner through life. From the basic modality of an infant we are the raw. In life we experience hardships, passions, defeats, and victories. Through experiences, accomplishments and embarrassments, dedication and distractions, victories and failures, as human beings we ourselves in a way are sculpted. From the helpless mass of a crying baby to a human being. intent on a purpose or a goal. A selfish desire or a philanthropic dream.
While there are many debates on what type of metal or which sword is superior to another to me this is an underlying strength of any practitioner that is capable of respecting and honoring his tool, not as a tool, but as a role model. An example of what the raw can become in its time under the right intent.
2) A little less poetic, but essentially i feel the Japanese had a belief that the sword itself, was an extension of their soul. I can't say (I'm not Japanese or 600 years old) this for sure, but to me this phrase embodies the regiment of true practitioners of the japanese sword, and many other swords and cultures for that matter. To these people, the sword was in essence, the blink of an eye, the wave of a hand, the foot that steps consecutively after the previous. The sword represented the extension of our intent, just as equally as our arms, legs or any other physical feature. We breathe without thought, we walk without thought, we sleep without thought, we eat. These activities are subconscious, allowing us to pursue more grandiose activities. I feel that for people that respect their edged/bladed weapons this is a never ending goal. To pursue the extension of the sword as if it were merely any other part of the body or soul. To act with certainty, awareness, and intent.
This has rambled on longer than I expected but i just wanted to share my thoughts, don't hate me pls lol
Thank you for a wonderful comment
In my experience, the slingshot effect of backlash against the overhype of the katana is rather disproportionate I'd say. While I'll go as far to champion equality among blades and swords of all kinds, and that all swords have a mystical attribute about them, I've seen that the only criticizers of katanas have been racist dirtbags who need to be dropped from whatever line of martial arts they follow or are scummy white nationalist nerds and gamers who band together in a lonely online hivemind.
Neither those who spread its misconceptions and attempt to debunk them have proven that they have a spirit anyone is willing to follow. Grow up. All of you.
Wow!!!..that is the deepest, most thought out, philosophical, outlook Ive ever read...I would advise the entire WORLD to read this. Whoever wrote this, Id like to shake your hand friend, and treat you to a beer. Quite frankly if everyone had this outlook, if gives a better perspective of what we (humankind) was put on this earth for. This goes way further than just the philosophy of the sword in my opinion. And if this is how the Samurai regarded the sword, it was indeed a sacred tool, and weapon, they felt blessed to have, especially a well crafted one
SCREW 'em, if we in Europe decided to polish our antiques, you'd have nothin' on us.
I'm Irish/ Scandinavian/ western European so of course I'm infatuated with north western or actually ALL EUROPEAN history and specific regions warriors(Vikings Celts Saxons etc) but I am also infatuated with Samurai or "Bushi" and the art of Nihonto. Of course the Japanese had dirty steel and perfected the method of making it as pure as possible, so did many other nations. Comparing different cultures swords saying one is worse or better than the other is childish to begin with. Each world region weapons evolved and adapted to the specific style of warfare and armor of that cultures time. I am a huge fan and lover of most cultures history and weapons but the Bushi had a specific relationship with their weapons (as did ancient Celts and Vikings and so on) but go try and find a 12th or 13th century European sword for a decent price and see what kind of condition it's in. And I'm not trying to say that European steel or weapons are bad, what I'm saying is how much care the families took in preserving their swords and other weapons because they believed their ancestors spirits or partial spirits were inside the blade. I have a Kamakura Tanto in a 18th century koshirae that looks amazing. Razor sharp (hasn't been sharpened in probably 200 or 300 years). Even the kogatana can still shave my face lol covered in rust
Great video and even finer work.....thanks for sharing this. You must feel proud to have had your imprint on this piece of history.
That's a beautiful sword. The dual bo-hi; clay tempered damascus; smooth hamon line. You're very good at your craft. I hope to be this good someday.
the yokote is my favorite part of the blade, very crisp and clean angles!
You display great skill and craftmanship whilst doing the art of japanese swordmaking some justice, respect to you.
Hey, I remember watching this video years and years ago before I ever forged my first sword. I remember thinking "I wish I could polish and sharpen swords as good as you" Thanks for the good video and nostalgic feeling.
Am I as good as you yet all these years later? hmm maybe not, but I can do all of this now myself to a decent standard.
Outstanding skill sir. You saved an amazing piece of history and art.
Wow! This is beautiful work! The hamon looks amazing!
You were so blessed to have been chosen for such a noble project.
Beautiful job!
Thank you so much!
Extremely interesting to watch you work! After checking your channel i wish that you'd just do sword polishing vids with nice music! haha. At any rate, thank you for the information and insight into this VERY UNDERRATED TALENT that you have!
Few people ever acknowledge the beauty of a well forged sword, even an antique such as this one is simply amazing
Thanks you for the kind comment, much appreciated.
Wow!! Amazing work sir.
What a pleasure to watch your work:)
I know I'm 8 years late but amazing work buddy. The beauty of these swords always leave me speechless and you really saved a piece of history there. plus I think that inspired me to learn it for myself. thank you sir lol
Thanks for watching! I think the songs were just generic from Imovie. Greetings from Canada!
ruclips.net/video/y4qBuL1iC-Y/видео.html
Amazing job!
nice place with tools and materials for polishing u got there :)
Based on your other videos I never though you were much of a ''precision'' kind of guy haha. Great craftmanship. Great videos!
lol i like to keep everyone guessing.
Outstanding sir, thank you for sharing! Any reccomended reading for those wishing to explore this art in more depth?
Amazing video. Very cool.
I love how these very old blades still exists and are kept safely in museums for others to enjoy the work that has been put down on a single sword by a sword smith few 100 years ago. All the history this one sword has is just amazing to think about. Its such a shame to know that most of these sword were confiscated and lost somehow.
Amazing. Great job
Hey this is good advice someday you can help me with my Kanata I'm in the USA of Illinois thank you for this video now I can learn more from your videos
I like your video ;) Good work :)
Outstanding work! Your blades look better than mine!
Very nice! beautiful sword! :)
Excellent work Louis
thanks!
vary impressive work thanks for the vid
Man, awesome video Louis. I thought all your videos were just always about snowmobiles and such. I had no idea that you were a traditional sword polisher as well. You are a true craftsman sir. Just curious, where did you learn this skill.
It was beautiful to watch the hamon slowly show up the way it did. It was also very interesting to hear the history of the katana and it's Canadian involvement. Thank you for sharing!
I do have some questions if you wouldn't mind answering.
How long did the entire process take? I'm not sure if it's the lighting but the hamon isn't as clearly seen on the kissaki. Is it common to leave a different polish on the kissaki? Finally, where did you learn to become a togishi?
great work.
Thank you for your kind comment!
Beautiful!!
Thank you! Cheers!
I'm in Ottawa, so therefore, I need to go to the museum this week to see the sword!
Beautifully done! An exquisite piece. What would be the cost to restore a Wakizashi that's in bad shape? Thanks for the post.
very well done
What a beauty. I heard it was expensive to get a katana polished. For the time and dedication I would spend some money on a polish of a true blade.
What type of stone are you using and where can I get one? What "mixture" were you using?
Amazing...
wow this is awesome! where did you learn how to do his?
Could you please be so kind and tell me what sort of burnishing tool you used and where to get one?
what did you use to leave the dark aspect behind the blade? and congratulations on the work.
Great kesho polish.
what are you using to scratch the shanogi? I've been trying to find that out . is it called a magaki-bo or something along those lines
is there a way to smooth out the tip edge without going through all that? i bought a sword its not real i know but its fully functional but the tip has "chips" and is scratchy to the touch id like to fix that some how and the edge itself isnt that sharp i have to push hard against my skin to make a cut anyway to fix that as well?
Slice, do not push, with a blade to see about sharpness. Check out any video with a Japanese swordsmith, who must finish a 10-year apprenticeship to get a license, for good sharpening technique. For simple sword sharpening, there are man web yahoos teaching what they do, If the sword is stainless, don't bother.
This guy is PRO !!
Hey PowerModz I would be interested in learning the process of polishing a Japanese sword. If ya don't mind me asking how did you learn this art
That is a wicked kisaki.
Nice job dude. How much do you charge per inch?
can you tell me what kind of stones you used in the video (mainly the grit..) thank you
As many people know the swords made around WWII were of poor quality and it seems that respect for the swords was not there either if that sword was cut off to shorten it. I love your polishing technique using all traditional equipment to polish. You must of had some training in japan to do what your doing. And what most don't see is that you cleaned your area before going from forming to polishing. To see this is very nice. Thank you for posting.
There were still high-quality swords made during the war. Btw, shortening blades was regularly done throughout Japanese history, sometimes several times. A long tachi might be shortened to suit a katana mounts, and shortened again to suit a smaller owner later on. Then a taller owner might find it too short, so he would have it taken to under "legal" katana length and wear it as a wakisashi or o-wakisashi.
Im also having trouble on my kissaki. Do you have any tips for polishing without a narumedai?
Where did you learn such a skill? It's not just a technique you are showing; it is patience and extraordinary discipline as well. I'm mentally exhausted after I sharpen a chef's knife on a stone, for the love of God. I guess that's why we need craftsmen such as yourself, huh? A really well done video, on a subject that can record as very boring & just repetition. Nice one.......
may I ask the name of the 2nd song that you used in this video,the polishing was awesome by the way
ruclips.net/video/y4qBuL1iC-Y/видео.html
What is this for a stone which you use to polishing your Katana?
Does the uchiguimori step improve (sharper/ more refined) the edge or does it merely "polish" (bring out the steel work) the steel?
Are there any tutorials on RUclips on how to sharpen and polish a katana?
Just hoping you might read this. Wanting to learn how to sharpen a blade the right way including the polishing. Do you have any suggestions as to where to begin or resources for learning?
Amazing
I'm a huge japanese blade fan. Do you still take commisions? What do you use to reshape your wetstones to true? Thx
How long can we have the skills?
We can’t use natural sharpening stone at future.
Can synthetic one will be a substitute?
I would love to learn how to do this.
What do you use to burnish the back, harder piece of steel? Thanks
what do you use as a your shaping (flattening) stone, please??
Curious as to how you trained for this. Do you know how the longitudinal groove is put into a sword? What a difference polishing made.
PowerModz Would you happen to know what the name of those finish stones are. I've never been able to find any.
Nice...what is the name of the 5mm stone that was used to put the final stage of the polishing
Hazuya?
that yokote, wowza.
hello i know this is a long shot but i was wondering if you are still polishing swords? and do you offer any classes or apprenticeships of sorts? im from ottawa and it would be nice to meet someone with experience whos brain i could pick
You certainly do incredible work! I was toying around with the idea of learning to do this myself. Yeah... no.
Hello. Please help me. I am sharpening a blade and it just keeps rusting as i go along sharpening. Can i put something in the water to stop Rust forming ? Thank you in advance. Nice video!
Ride and have fun!
what are the names of "finger stones " that you use during finishing polish?
they are literally called finger stones. Sometimes finger nagura
WOW....hugely impressed. I make my own knives, cleavers. Mainly for my own enjoyment as i'm sure you can appreciate. But, I am humbled by your polishing skills. your very talented. I know the water stones you are using are expensive but what price range would I be looking at? (In sterling as i'm in the uk)
For the initial stones, low and medium grit, £20-30 is about right, they aren't expensive.
For the final finishing stones, forget price ranges - Each natural stone are almost collectors items, price could be in the £200 to "anywhere" range for a piece the size of a brick.
What did you use to burnish the spine of the sword?
What is the mixture you use to bring out the hamon?
Thanks for watching!
Outstanding work! How many man-hours did this require? And how much can one expect to pay for such a service? What brand and grit of whetstones did you use for the job? Thanks.
All total about 80 hours
thank you..
I came here from angle grinder restorations and this healed my soul.
Thanks for watching!
I want to learn how to do this!
what do you burnish it with?
how teach you to do that.....
awesome dude awesome.
great vid and great job, ty. Polearm polearm polearm (for the snobs)
Great video, lot of passion is going into this sword.
Does anybody knows the last two songs?
Greetings from Estonia
ruclips.net/video/y4qBuL1iC-Y/видео.html
I have recently baugh my first katana, i've alway bee a fan of Japanese cuture specialy samurai. I have plans to buy a hand forged katana heat tempered, I've studied and researched and have seen the deferences in price and quality. I have made my mind to buy a expensive sword up to 800 to 1000 but before i do i would like to learn on how to maintain my sword in extremely good shape. What im asking is for some guidance on stones, names and prices, i have done alot of research but haven't gotten many answers. Is there any way you could point me to the right derection? .
What is the blue plastic nagura you use to shape and create slurry on your stones?
oh that is a well used diamond file, it lasts a long time on that artificial stone - the natural stones used to shape it can leave rough pieces that damage the sword.
how much do those sharpening kits cost, with those different stones?
A lot
Love the video. But where did you go to school to learn this sir? It takes about 10 to 15 years to become a master sword polisher. Where did you go to school for this?
In Japan it takes 6 years to learn how to make tea. Ill give some teachers more credit and say they can teach a student how to make tea in a shorter period of time:)
That is one BEAST of a blade. I love wide choppers. You said it was about 450 years old? the length would make me think it's nanbokucho era (mid/late 1300's). do you know who the smith was and is it dated?
The soul of the Samuri. Those Japanese Sword Smiths must have been God's to use iron and fire to craft such an item of such beauty and eligence.
hi there, is there anyway you could make more videos on this craft ? I'm in the process on purchasing all of my own stones and trying to study this as a Hobbie. they're is not a lot of English speaking Content for us . I'm sure both me and other viewers would appreciate it . if not thank you for this one
amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What is used to burnish, just a piece of steel? Thanks
If you could only have 1 or 2 natural stones what would they be? Uchigumori? I have namikawa-san looking for a decent uchigumori-hato for me now, I can only afford 1 stone at a time though. Wondering what your choice would be if you had to choose only 1.
if you need one let me know I have a few stones I'm selling, you'll need ha-to and ji-to to do it right.
i like the last song, i seriously cannot find it
I can tell you're an expert since I see you are using the same tools and techniques that a master sharpener from Japan used in his video. I just can't bring myself to wrap my hand around the edge side of the blade during the process.
I noticed that, he must have hands of leather! Even the Japanese people use rice paper wrapped around to hold it.
I want to first thank you for the video as I have recently received my Fathers two Swords he collected during the War in the Pacific will serving with the 77th Infantry , Any way the blades have not been cleaned in + 75 years and a and the Death Valley heat and no moister did the blades no harm so how would I get a or do a light polish to get back that shin I first saw back in the early 60's .