gumanthon Posted January 25, 2009 Report Posted January 25, 2009 Hi, I have seen DVD's / footage of a togishi and in the final stages they appear to use some sort of pen / burnishing tool on the shinogi-ji covering it in what looks like some type of black ink. Can anyone shed any light on what they are doing or using at this stage. Regards John. Quote
Mike Posted January 25, 2009 Report Posted January 25, 2009 Hi, AFAIK the burnishing stage involve powdered horn paste which is being used to clean the shinogi ji, and then it is dried using ibota powder. At this stage the togi-shi starts burnishing using his burnishing tools. I hope it gives you some help. Mike Quote
Ted Tenold Posted January 25, 2009 Report Posted January 25, 2009 To elaborate on Mike's correct answer; this stage is called "migaki" or burnishing. It is performed with a variety of hardened steel or tungsten rods and knife shaped tools in a process that compresses the sword's surface to make it mirrored, and contrasted to the other parts of the sword. The ibota is a wax-like substance that provides a lubricant to prevent the tools from gouging the surface of the blade. Like everything else, migaki can be done either skillfully, or abhorridly. Once completed, the areas should not only be clear and mirrored, but a good job also will allow the hada of the blade in those regions to be seen which can be a vital part of identifying the sword's origins and age. Polishers will often times install lines under the habaki where the burnish terminates, and at the kissaki on the mune. These are called "migaki nagashi" and are a decorative mark of the polisher. Their patterns and numbers vary, but are nearly always an odd number placed on each surface. Many swords do not have them at all. Quote
gumanthon Posted January 30, 2009 Author Report Posted January 30, 2009 Hi, Thank you for your explanation it is very interesting. With Regards John. Quote
kusunokimasahige Posted January 31, 2009 Report Posted January 31, 2009 Is there any guide to the stripes? like barcodes have several explanations has anyone ever made an attempt to list these marks? KM Quote
Ted Tenold Posted January 31, 2009 Report Posted January 31, 2009 I've heard several explainations including preference of school, polisher, time period, etc.. Certain polishers do have a style they prefer. I've also heard that some polishers vary it periodically to identify when it was polished. Bottom line (no pun intended) is that it varies according to the polisher. Quote
Brian Pedersen Posted March 17, 2009 Report Posted March 17, 2009 Just a quick reply.. As Mr Arnold indeed said, those lines are called nagashi and are basically the signature of the polisher. However it is also a good way to see if the sword was polished by a Hon'ami or a Fujishiro polisher...a Hon'ami polisher will normally "sign" the sword using an odd number like "7, 9, 11,13" and so on, whereas Fujishiro will normally use an even number like "4,6,8,10" and so on Of cause you will find swords that are exceptions to that rule..but if you have a sword that has an odd number of lines, chances are that it was indeed polished by a Hon'ami taught polisher. Quote
John A Stuart Posted March 17, 2009 Report Posted March 17, 2009 Maybe you can tell me what school Kokan Nagayama was trained in. John Quote
Brian Pedersen Posted March 17, 2009 Report Posted March 17, 2009 Sure, he was trained in the Hon'ami school. Quote
John A Stuart Posted March 17, 2009 Report Posted March 17, 2009 Ah, that makes sense. I have seen Mishina Kenji,his student, in company with Hon'ami sama and his students. John Quote
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