Detailed Steps to Sharpen Modern Japanese Sword

Before you get started

There are two stages in sharpening katana swords: shitaji togi and shiagi togi. Shitaji togi

or foundation polishing aims to remove unwanted grooves and to refine the overall shape of

the sword.
The sword is to be brushed over a stationary stone. Any new swords have to undergo this

stage, but older ones can get started to next stage. The shiagi togi or finish polishing

aims to even out the surface and to finally produce the shiny gloss. Fine stones with tiny

grits are moved over the blade this time.

Things you need to know

Here is a list of things you need to have.

1. SHARPENING KIT You can buy one at any online store or specialty shops in your locality.

Usually they contain several whetstones, polishing oil, hammer, cloth ball, and wooden jigs.

A manual is also included to provide step-by-step instruction.

2. GRIT is a measure of the abrasives on the sandpaper, stones, or other polishing

materials. English scale is measured in particle size (microns). Take note that the Japanese

grit differs from the US grit. So be careful, select only water stones and sandpapers for

polishing which are measured against Japanese grit standard.

3. SANDPAPER is made from coarse to fine grits as the polishing progresses. A favorite

choice among polishers is silicon carbide abrasive paper.

4. JAPANESE WATER STONES can either be natural or artificial. Natural water stones are

difficult to acquire and if they are obtained, they are expensive. Artificial water stones

are the substitutes, only that the results would vary. The stones have be to wetted before

sharpening and when they become concave for constant friction, they have to be restored to

shape by rubbing them with other stones.

5. JIGS are wooden contraptions that can keep your work stable and steady.

6. OIL would be helpful to keep off dust and rust from the blade while working. It will also

keep the sword’s surface to be with the right moisture for polishing.

Now the real job: Sharpening sword

The first thing that you have to do is to buy sharpening kit. All the things that you may

need are already included in the package, so you do not have to go to far lengths in

procuring everything. However, you need to invest on Japanese water stones of increasingly

finer grits to get your job perfectly. After that, proceed to the following steps:

1. Soak the stones. Japanese water stones are to be wetted before they can be used.

Neutralize the acidity of the water first by sprinkling baking soda (about a fourth of the

cup will do). The stones are to be soaked for around half an hour.

2. Shape the stones. The ideal shape of the stones is convex, but by constant friction it

becomes concave. You need to reshape them back by scraping a stone against another of a

coarser grit.

3. Prepare the wooden jigs. Some sharpeners can do the job standing, others sitting down.

There are some who do it comfortably squatting. Whatever your most comfortable position is,

make sure the wooden jigs would hold the sword and stones strongly.

4. Remove the blade from the scabbard and hilt. Do not rush by pulling things apart

haphazardly. You might not be able to piece everything back together after you are done

polishing. Do not unravel the leather wrap; it is done in a way so intricate that it would

not be easy to wound it back again.

5. Straighten the blade. This is a difficult task because you need to have a good sense of

geometry to get it right. Just remember that Japanese blade surface should be rigidly

straight and not bent, curving gracefully from the base of the tang to the point. You can

straighten the blade by placing the sword on your knee and forcing both ends downward. Use

the wooden jigs for more ways to straighten it.

6. Sharpening. You are now on the first stage, the shitaji togi. Use arato stone (of a

Japanese grit 180), secure it on the floor, and grind the sword against it. Grind

deliberately, slowly, and carefully.

7. More Japanese water stones. Use stones of less coarse grits in the following order:

binsui stone (of grit 300) to remove rust, kaisei stone (of grit 500) for finer shape,

chu-nagura stone (of grit 800) for refining shape, koma-nagura stone (of grit 1500), and

uchigumori stone (of grit 4000). It takes smart guesses and estimation when to use the

stones, so it is better to read more information and follow instructional steps carefully to

guide you through.

8. Now the second stage, the fine polishing. You are now in shiage togi for finer polishing.

Prepare the stones for this stage by hacking paper-thin sizes from uchigumori stone to

produce hazuya stones. Create the polishing powder called nugui powder (either the kit

includes this detail or you have to produce your own). The nugui powder is very fine and it

includes pulverized narutaki stones, tsushima stone, iron ore, etc.

9. Polishing. Unlike in the first stage, the stones have to move against the sword. Use

your thumb in polishing the edge of the sword with hazuya stones.

10. When the tempering line is visible, use the jizuya stone. You can also use sandpaper of

the grit 6000.

11. Use nugui powder. Mix nugui powder with sharpening oil. Moisten a swab of cotton or

cloth with the oil and polish the surface of the blade.

12. Polish the cutting edge by hazuya stone to reveal the temper line (hamon).

13. For the mirror finish, you need to have steel needles, horn powders, and wax ball. Use

the horn powder to wet the surface and run the wax ball to smoothen it. Carefully scratch

the surface of the blade with the steel needles to see the gloss effect.

14. Finish the job by dabbing a white clean cloth over the blade. Remove all moist by

letting in air throughout the blade’s surface. Once done, you can refit the sword back to

the hilt and the scabbard.

The instructions here must be supplemented by expert guidance and comprehensive research.

This is not a detailed guide on Japanese sword sharpening and must be read as a basic

overview of polishing. When in doubt, please refrain from proceeding to any steps. It is

best to hear what the professionals say about the condition of your sword before doing

anything.

Sword care and maintenance

Samurai warriors went to great lengths to look after the condition of their swords. In the

past, anyone who knocked down a katana sword on display or who carelessly handled it could

be fighting a death match. You should take care of your ancient samurai sword—see the

article sword care and maintenance—but let sharpening be the duty of the experts.