Traditional polishing
(Hadori and Sashikomi)
KEISHO (HADORI)
SASHIKOMI
Hadori or Sashikomi
There are two types of finishing polish that can be applied to the hamon of a Japanese sword, KEISHO (HADORI) and SASHIKOMI. Keisho includes a stone called hadori and whitens the area that highlights the shape of the hamon in all its details. Sashikomi is an older natural style of polishing that uses special tsuya stones and nugui to make the hamon stand out on its own without additional stonework.
When to choose keisho:
Keisho polishing looks good on most Japanese swords. Some people don't like
keisho because if it's done wrong, it can obscure the details of the hamon, or
if it doesn't closely follow the real hamon, it can look really odd. In case if
it is done well, it really enhances the visibility of the crystalline
structures without obscuring the ji. Keisho is currently the most common
finishing method in Japan. Most swords seen in recognized books are Keisho
designs. In most cases, modern polishing should be done in keisho style. For
example, if you plan to apply a blade to shinsa, it is advisable to choose this
polishing method.
When to choose sashikomi:
There are some certain cases when the sashikomi is most appropriate method. If
the blade has a very thin and narrow nioi deki hamon, sashikomi might be
preferable, as the keisho polish may blur the details. If the blade has, for
example, sanbon-sugi or some kind of togari-ba hamon, the sashikomi surface may
still be preferable. A hamon consisting of a large number of narrow, high peaks
separated in circle may not fit well into the shape of a keisho wave form. A
Hitatsura (fully tempered) blade is usually made in sashikomi style, as there
is no separate area for the application of hadori stones and visually the
Sashikomi highlights its characteristics well.
There are some cases when sashikomi cannot be used. Some blades have an extremely hard hamon that appears glossy rather than whitish in sashikomi style. In some cases, hamon is missing, the shigane (softer core steel) or the welding seams, etc. are on the surface. Every flaw in the blade will be clearly visible and the sashikomi style finish would accentuate it even more. The keisho style surface allows the togi to use different stones and techniques on the surface and edge. This leaves a lot of freedom for hiding surface irregularities or filling in the gaps in the hamon, as each surface can be worked individually in the most appropriate way.
In any case, the above two techniques are only worth for making swords used as decorations or for presentation purposes. For Tameshigiri and swords used for batto, these finely worked surfaces can be easily and spectacularly scratched. In such cases, we do not recommend either polishing method. We will post pictures of this polishing technique later.FINISHED WORKS
Sosyu Tsunahiro 3.gen. Otanto
Inoue Shinkai katana
(Under process)
Mumei kanmuri-otoshi-hirazukuri tanto
Naotane (atr. Kajihei) katana
(Under process)