O tempora, O Mores

[Jean]

https://www.aoijapan.com/Japanese-sword-study-meeting-7/

[Nihontocollector752]

And this is a great way for Aoi to ruin their business. Letting everyone know they do things the absolutely wrong way.

[PNSSHOGUN]

Wasn't this posted before and deleted?

[ROKUJURO]

TSURUTA-SAN must have understood the facts in a wrong way when he writes: 

....If you have cavities on your teeth, you must scrape them off.
Polishing is the case here....

I sincerely hope for him that his dentist has a better technique.

I am confident that most collectors love their fingertips enough to avoid the recommended method! 

[sabiji]

This at least explains why the same polish quirks can be seen over and over again on some Aoi blades.

[ChrisW]

Big yikes.

[Brian]

I want to ask him if he's happy to let an amateur with some basic knowledge work on his teeth?
But anyways, it's their opinion I guess. Maybe some of the guys there that take his classes go on to be proper polishers. I hope so.

[Jean]

Really a wrong move. Proper training is needed and not everyone is able to become a good polisher, there is a big selection. I am really surprised. I remember 20 years ago, a French NMB member visited Aoi Art shop and told me that he found a bucket full of water and at the bottom polishing stones.

Tsuruta san indulges himself in polishing.

[Toryu2020]

Do we know it's him writing the blog? This doesn't sound right...

[Brian]

7 minutes ago, Toryu2020 said:

Do we know it's him writing the blog? This doesn't sound right...

Few years back he wrote a clear article inviting customers to polish their swords with a bit of instruction from himself. Yeah, it's right.
I think he sticks to fingerstones. Hopefully.

[Gakusee]

Well, I have heard that customers have seen him in his previous smaller shop, the one that used to be next to the former NBTBK place, polishing swords…. I have not seen this myself as I have been there only once and that did not happen at the time. But I think he was doing one of his oshigata

[Ian B3HR2UH]

 I saw this myself at the old shop . I walked in and Mr Tsuruta was polishing a tanto . Not with finger stones as I recall.

Ian Brooks

[Rivkin]

Most higher end dealers in Japan are trained polishers or in the very least have extensive training in polishing.

Yes, most sub 300,000 yen blades are polished by dealers or their similarly trained partners. It typically costs around 40,000-70,000 yen for a daito to have this level of polish. The quality varies, in some cases there is so much keisho one can look at a sword only with very good light and very steep angles. Some are certainly no worse compared to trained western polishers.

 

I don't think anyone makes a secret out of it. There is sub 70,000 basic polish, then there is 110-150,000 polish which is more "professional" and then you jump all the way to 500,000 yen. In my experience you can ask them to guarantee the blade will not be rejected from papers based on being in improper polish. Which is more than can be said for very many western properly trained polishers, unfortunately.

 

[Bazza]

Rivkin wrote above:

> Which is more than can be said for very many western properly trained polishers, unfortunately.

I do not take exception to anything Rivkin said, However, I should point out for those newer to the Board that our resident Australian togishi Andrew Ickeringill is properly trained and credentialed.  See his website and Facebook pages:
http://touken-togishi.com/

https://www.facebook.com/toukentogishi

And on our own NMB see this thread:

https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/11751-2013-nbsk-competition-results/#comment-121567

 And while polish is being discussed this thread is a timely re-read:

https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/35486-a-word-about-amateur-polishing/#comment-367040

BaZZa.
aka Barry Thomas.