Togishi: Contrary opinions on using uchiko

[Marius]

Dear All,

 

I have just stumbled upon an interesting opinion on the Usagiya website:

http://www.ksky.ne.jp/~sumie99/ns8.html

This is a short article about a newly made sword and the togishi who has polished it in the classical style (sashikomi). Allow me to quote the part which has left me bewildered:

"The polisher said that he wanted to polish this blade in the classical style (sashikomi), because it should be better for that interesting appearances in the blade.

Then he presented an uchiko powder ball to the blade and said.

"Polishing work is not finished by polisher. A newly polished blade has to be treated politely by the owner. Careful treatment during long time makes the blade surface clear. It takes some years or longer. For that, real uchiko powder is necessary.

His policy is quite correct. But on a deep make-up polishing, it is not good sometimes. Treatment with real uchiko powder may take the make-up off and bring the true face up."

Now, this is something totally contrary to what I have learned - uchiko has been defamed as an abrasive agent which can indeed ruin a good polish over time and even blur those crispy edges of a newly polished sword. And togishi who have recommended to apply uchiko to a newly polished blade have been defamed as lazy bums who don't do their job properly. Then again, I allow myself to quote the late Jim Kurrasch's opinion on that topic:

"Swords in Sashi-komi polish are different. Sashi-komi polishes will improve with age and uchiko. If properly maintained using uchiko several times a year they will reach perfection in five or ten years (please see the quote at the end of this article)."

 

BTW, for me, the humble amateur, Jim's essays on nihonto have been a constant source of knowledge and inspiration. I have downloaded and archived his website long before it was taken down and now I would like to host it, or basically put it up for everybody interested to download. If anyone here has got a contact to Jim's family, I would like to ask them their permission to distribute Jim's essays to the nihonto community. His articles are small gems, as most of you will surely know.

[John A Stuart]

A perrenial source of debate. I talked to a well known polisher in Japan and asked him this question. He believes that using a good uchiko is not harmful and in fact during an informal kantei his deshi used it prior to returning the swords to rest in shirasaya. When the day finished viewing swords at the Keio Plaza this year I was there as swords were put back in shirasaya for the night and they used uchiko before oiling them. These were important swords. That being said I use microfibre only on swords in perfect polish and use uchiko only rarely on out of polish swords. I would rather be safe than sorry. Uchiko use requires a deft touch and polish could be adversely affected if a heavy hand uses it especially the kissaki area. John

BTW That blue script is hard to read.

[reinhard]

There are basically two different views about sword-polishing nowadays. The Hon'ami-based approach is strictly conservative, saying: All that matters is the blade, not the owner. This way of polishing was invented to preserve the blade as long as possible. As a side-effect, subtle details of a blade will be visible only after years or even decades of GENTLE sword-care. - Some people however don't want to wait until then. There are ways to bring out all features immediately, even to the untrained eye, including the use of chemicals lately, but at the expense of a sword's lifetime.

 

This means: Some swords are meant (according to polish and state of preservation) to be GENTLY treated with uchiko once in a while and others are not.

 

reinhard

[Link]

I just bought my 1st "good" sword Hozon papers ect. in almost new polish it's really nice ! anyway I was told by someone not to use the powder even though he gave me a kit with the powder in it. He also gave me a micro fiber cloth and siad thats all he'll ever use on a sword in good polish so I am taking his advice. However I have an old blade early edo that was mis handled over the years and is in old polish prob. done about 50 to 70 years ago and there was some minor blackish stains on the blade so I tried the powder on them and ended up mixing a little of the oil and powder and rubbed out all the stains and with a little work I can now see some boshi in the kissaki and the hada is showing up way better. I think the powder really helped that older polish.

[Marius]

Thanks for the clarification - I like the Hon'ami approach - it seems honest and sensible.

 

BTW, where can I buy top grade uchiko? Any shop you can recommend? I don't mind paying top prices. I would not like to risk using uchiko from a kit...

[Jacques D.]

Hi,

 

Here

[nagamaki - Franco]

Greetings,

 

Bushido > http://www.bushidojapaneseswords.com/booksupplies.HTM , ask Bob about the article he wrote on uchiko, if buying from him.

 

A few words to the wise if choosing to use uchiko; practice on a non freshly polished sword until your technique including correct finger pressure is properly developed. Keep the good uchiko separate and clean using only on freshly polished swords. Quartz halogen lighting is the way to go to reveal hike from uchiko.

 

Having used both uchiko and the microfiber cloth, it's a good idea to have both. The statement by Reinhard quoted below is why.

 

This means: Some swords are meant (according to polish and state of preservation) to be GENTLY treated with uchiko once in a while and others are not.

Only your polisher will know for sure.

[Marius]

Greetings,

 

Bushido > http://www.bushidojapaneseswords.com/booksupplies.HTM , ask Bob about the article he wrote on uchiko, if buying from him.

 

A few words to the wise; practice using uchiko on a non freshly polished sword until your technique including correct finger pressure is properly developed. Keep the good uchiko separate and clean using only on freshly polished swords. Quartz halogen lighting is the way to go to reveal hike from uchiko.

 

Hi Franco,

 

many thanks, your advice sounds very reasonable to me. Question - what do you mean by "hike"? Scratches? Or something else?

 

Also, HOW do I develop my uchikoing technique? What should I look for? How often should I uchiko my old polished sword?

 

I presume that I will have to keep two balls of uchiko - one for freshly polished swords, one for old polished? Actually, I would rather avoid uchiko for newly polished swords - all my swords are polished in the kesho (hadori) style.

 

Another question arises - how does an amateur like me tell sashikomi polish from hadori (kesho) polish? I know the difference - sashikomi is more subdued, the hazuya follows the hamon more precsisely, the hamon is not too bright, but I still am not confident enough to tell which one is which.

 

I have a tanto, where I am in doubt (picture attached). I ask these questions only to determine where I can use uchiko...

[nagamaki - Franco]

hello,

 

[

many thanks, your advice sounds very reasonable to me. Question - what do you mean by "hike"? Scratches? Or something else?

 

yes, scratches

 

Also, HOW do I develop my uchikoing technique? What should I look for? How often should I uchiko my old polished sword?

 

hmm, practice, practice, practice , the uchiko article previously mentioned is very thorough if you can get a copy. By the way the polishers uchiko Bushido sells is excellent and reasonably priced. Typically, and others might offer a different opinion, but swords in old polish should be checked at least once per month, with the oil changed at least once every three months, which is when you would use the uchiko to remove the current oil to apply fresh oil.

 

I presume that I will have to keep two balls of uchiko - one for freshly polished swords, one for old polished? Actually, I would rather avoid uchiko for newly polished swords - all my swords are polished in the kesho (hadori) style.

 

Freshly polished swords require much closer attention for the first year, follow your polishers instructions and recommended sword care.

 

Microfiber cloth along with plain Kleenex for excess oil removal are ways to avoid using uchiko.

 

 

Another question arises - how does an amateur like me tell sashikomi polish from hadori (kesho) polish? I know the difference - sashikomi is more subdued, the hazuya follows the hamon more precsisely, the hamon is not too bright, but I still am not confident enough to tell which one is which.

 

I have a tanto, where I am in doubt (picture attached). I ask these questions only to determine where I can use uchiko...

 

Check the following websites, if not mistaken, they offer examples of images for each type of polish. Sashikomi follows the hamon quite precisely, kesho is like makeup somewhat outlining and at the same time masking. Ted, might wish to chime in here?

 

http://www.nihontoantiques.com/

 

http://www007.upp.so-net.ne.jp/m-kenji/index.html

[Jean]

Marriuszk,

 

Roughly. If you look at an angle to the hamon and find a hamon totally different from the one you are seeing upfront you are facing hadori.

 

For example, I have a Suruga Shimada tanto, Hirosuke. he polish shows a notare midare hamon.

If you have a look at the balde from a 30° angle you will see a totally different hamon with togari, that's hadori effect.

 

With hadori, very good polishers can give a hamon where it runs off the blade

[pcfarrar]

Nice tanto Marriuszk, I have a katana by the same smith. Aizu Michitoki?

 

Paul Martin can get hold of good quality uchiko, I have some from Sasaki san and its much better quality than the Fujishiro one. Generally like others I stick to using microfibre cloths on my swords in good polish.

[Carlo Giuseppe Tacchini]

Paul Martin can get hold of good quality uchiko,

 

Indeed, and oil too.

[Marius]

Nice tanto Marriuszk, I have a katana by the same smith. Aizu Michitoki?

 

Peter,

 

I shouldn't be surprised, but your knowledge of nihonto is positively occult :-) Yes, it is Aizu Michitoki (attribution by the NTHK, London Shinsa last year, I believe), with a Shibata Mitsuo origami attributing it to Yamon Naokatsu.

 

BTW, I have ordered uchiko from Bob Benson, and I use German machine oil (Ballistol - http://www.ballistol.de/english/index.p ... 05&sub2=33).

[Ted Tenold]

With hadori, very good polishers can give a hamon where it runs off the blade

 

Well, more accurately, hadori can recreate or represent what should be there. But with observation, one will discover that it is just hadori with no underlying nie or nioi. The responsibility and intent of the application is the larger question.

 

Sashikomi and Hadori styles are discussed on Guido Schiller's excellent article. Not much I could add as he covers it very well.

 

http://www.bushidojapaneseswords.com/po ... eaning.pdf

 

What I can say is that each blade comes with it's own character and decisions are made to best reflect that character. There are swords that could look quite nice in either style, many that can only really be best represented in one or the other. Hadori involves more than just the whitening of the yakiba. I explained hadori once as a way of gathering the yakiba and guiding the viewer through the smiths patterns and intentions, while at the same time identifying the features with elegance and without garrishness. One can see this practice for example on a Soshu sword with Hitatsura, that if polished in sashikomi, would look scattered and confusing. The hadori style helps bring some guidance and balance to the whole sword and that is inclusive of the hada. Sashikomi polishes are softer by nature, and a blade with a strong compact nioi deki are many times best represented because hadori can over impact the yakiba's pattern which is already quite identifiable and beautiful in more natural state. The habuchi is clearly revealed as it is in sashikomi, while hadori accentuates and defines it. However like just about everything else in Nihonto, there are exceptions and gray areas exist. That's where the polisher's experience, skill, and perception come into play. They must decide how best to represent and preserve the work.

 

Uchiko seems to have become somewhat of a contentious subject over the past couple of years. I sum up my thoughts with, "all things in moderation". Excessive use of uchiko (even if top quality) can adversely alter the polish, sashikomi or hadori. Though I will say that there are polishes I've seen that "settled" over some time (hadori or sashikomi) developing a gentle color and luster, I don't really agree that any fresh polish can't be *fully* appreciated without seasoning it through the use of uchiko. That seems a bit presumptuous over a skilled polisher.

 

Having known Jim Kurrasch, I can say that I didn't completely agree with his views regarding application of uchiko. I'm not saying he was outwardly wrong. Hey, he was a fun and good man, I just didn't agree with the ambitious application he did.

[pcfarrar]

[Yes, it is Aizu Michitoki (attribution by the NTHK, London Shinsa last year, I believe), with a Shibata Mitsuo origami attributing it to Yamon Naokatsu.

 

I recognised the tanto My katana was papered at the same shinsa.

[Brian Pedersen]

First of all, I would like to apologize for being absent for quite some time form this board.

Due to personal matters and the buying of a new house (with a bigger work room) I haven't been as active as I would have liked.

 

However to the matter at hand...

 

My sensei (T.Sasaki) always uses uchiko and so do I.

 

If applied properly it will not damage the blade..the keyword here is of cause "properly"

It does take time to learn how to do it right so as not to scratch the sword.

Also, removal of said uchiko from the sword takes a bit of practice as well..too little pressure won't remove it properly, excessive pressure and you risk damage to the blade.

 

But what is even more important though is the uchiko itself, there are unfortunately a lot of bad quality uchiko out there and good quality tends to be quite expensive.

 

You do usually get what you pay for though, to make good quality takes a lot of time and is back breaking and I mean that literally..I have done it.

 

Good quality uchiko, is filtered through 1 layer of very fine cloth many, many times..when that process is finished, you do it again, this time just with 2 layers of very fine cloth!

 

Does uchiko, reveal any hidden detalis or does it "cloudy" them over time?

This IMHO depends on a number of factors, the sword itself, the polish, the application and the removal of uchiko, however I personally do not see danger in using a good quality uchiko.

Hope this helps?

 

Regards

Brian Pedersen

Saitama, Japan

[Brian]

Brian,

Thanks for that first hand experience. Always good to see you posting, and to hear about polishing from someone who is "doing it"

I wonder if you would care to recommend a brand or seller of uchiko? We know the usual sources, and some of them do have good quality uchiko, but if there is more top level stuff out there, then I am sure we would all love to know about it.

Appreciate the input. I had always assumed uchiko was a by-product of the polishing process, but from what you seem to be saying, sometimes the stones are just processed by hand purely for the uchiko.

 

Brian

[John A Stuart]

Brian, I was given uchiko by Sasaki sensei as a gift and it is the only type I use on in polish swords, which is very rarely and not on new polish. I believe he has limited quantities for sale. I have Bob Bensons uchiko for really out of polish swords that I can't afford to polish, his students used to make it, but, I think now he has outside sources. John

[Marius]

I have Bob Bensons uchiko for really out of poish swords that I can't afford to polish

 

John, does it work? I mean, does the aplication of uchiko make an out-of-polish sword reveal hataraki? Does the sword eventually look like it was in old polish? If so, how long does it take?

[John A Stuart]

Hi Mariusz, It seems to help, but, it takes a lot of time. It doesn't remove serious corrosion, however the areas that are fair seem to respond and appear brighter. John

[Brian Pedersen]

Brian,

I am not really aware of any retailers that sell any top quality uchiko, not because they don't exist, they most likely do, but because I make my own.

 

You can say that the uchiko is a result of the polishing process...uchiko is a "by product" of grinding stones down, stones you need in the shiage stage and the remaining "sludge" after being filtered and properly treated is you uchiko.

[John A Stuart]

Hi Brian P., I watched that being done at your sensei's and it seemed the most boring and tedious process. I understand it is a neccessary step in the apprenticeship. There was 4 or 5 guys doing it at that time and it seemed like a good time to bond with their fellows, quietly telling stories. I guess that would help time pass. John

[Carlo Giuseppe Tacchini]

I watched that being done ...omissis... and it seemed the most boring and tedious process.

 

Especially when your nails begin to bleed...

[Brian Pedersen]

It is rather boring..especially when you do it for 2-3 months, 8-10 hours a day :D

but it does serve a purpose... it "tests" your character, if you can stand this, you are not likely to quit easily.

More important though, you learn how to differentiate between hard and soft stones, this knowledge you have to use in the shiage stage, different swords demands different stones.

 

And yes it can be quite painful...

[Clive Sinclaire]

Gentlemen

I am sorry to have joined this debate so late. I am pleased that so many like Sasaki's uichiko. He is also an old family friend of mine (I had dinner with him after Dai To-ken Ichi in November) and I know his uichiko is very fine and of excellent quality. I did not see it mentioned about after-polish care so I thought I should. After a sword is polished, for a few months it will "sweat" water and this must be cleaned off immdiately or your new polish will soon become damaged. You should use your good uichiko for this. Also, after a sword has been out on display or viewed, it should be uichiko'd as soon as possible and then oiled (if you keep a sword oiled, some don't). Mostly uichiko is for removing choji-abura which can not be done with the new impregnated cloths. You should learn to use uichiko properly and safely as part of your original sword care and etiquette training, such as how to uichiko swords with horimono etc. By the way, in caligaphy, the little up-strokes or flicking at the end of a stroke are also called hike, the scratches so refered to are at the end of a poor wiping action when removing the uichiko iin a similar way as the caligraphy strokes. Only use good uichiko on good swords, but mainly do it correctly and with a light hand.

Good old Jim Kurasch had a few funny ideas but mainly he was sound.

Regards

Clive