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Japanese Togishi interviewed on TV

967 views 8 replies 5 participants last post by  The Tourist 
#1 ·
My favorite Japanese Togishi has been made a 'National Treasure' for his skill in polishing. The show was divided into three segments, and I showed one to Chuck. I find this stuff interesting, and if enough care to watch the interview, I'll post the other two segments.

 
#2 ·
One thing I noticed right away the first time I saw the show was that his methods mirror my own. In the corner of his shop is a lot of clean rags. There is water everywhere. He's always flattening his stones. He soaks several stones ahead of time.

And of course, there is swarf all over everything...
 
#3 ·
He's working with long blades and I have a hard time understanding how he can keep the edge even from the tip to the hilt or what ever the other end of the blade is called.
 
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#4 ·
Oh, I understand. There is a scene early where the camera angle is aimed at the tip. The entire expanse of the sword, perhaps 36 inches, is one flawless strip of chrome.

He figures a "tune up" takes four to eight days. Yikes, it takes me that long to do a knife!

I use the fanciest polishes I can buy. He digs through a box of mica, wets a piece, and rubs it on a board.

I do like his philosophy of polishing. Beauty is achieved by subtraction, and done too many times it destroys the sword. That is why I am careful with steel.

The thing that haunts me is the glazed, unblinking look he has where the stone meets the steel. Nothing escapes him.
 
#6 ·
That's why he's the 'National Treasure.'

(The ending is typical Japanese cinematography. He meets Beatrix Kiddo, tells he that her Hattori is dull, she cries, he embraces her and it snows.)

As I told Chuck, his tools and stance are the upside down version of an Edge Pro. He uses numerous wedges to get the waterstone he wants to the angle needed on the katana. Then he proceeds with long, even strokes with the blade while the stone is immobile.

I do the opposite. Instead of wedges underneath the stone, I raise and lower the stone arm. The blade stays immobile and the stone makes the strokes.

The outcome is the same, the angle of the bevel stays uniform.
 
#9 ·
This is where I lucked out. For a few years I worked as a mechanic for the old Decker's Harley-Davidson. There are torque specs for every bolt, and I had a torque wrench. After a few weeks you can do it by "feel."

I can find a rough spot, no matter the size, by the slight tremor I feel on the stone handle. You can also tell by the way the polish looks on the paper by how smooth the edge is. If there's a line in the polish, there's a flaw in the edge.
 
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