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Samurai Sword Care &
Maintenance
The blade of your Katana is extremely sharp and
may cause serious injury. Make sure that the blade edge
is never in a position where it could injure yourself
or others. Never clean or oil the blade with the edge
towards you and avoid touching the edge at all times.
Never draw or sheath the Katana with edge towards you.
Never allow children to handle the Katana.
Unsheathing and sheathing the Katana
The blade fit in the scabbard (saya) is deliberately
firm to avoid accidental unsheathing. Do not unsheathe
the blade by simply pulling the handle and the scabbard
apart, this is dangerous and will wear the scabbard throat
(koiguchi). To correctly unsheathe the blade, hold the
wrapped section of the scabbard with the left hand (edge
side up) and the handle with the right hand. With the
left thumb push away the guard (tsuba) away from the throat
of the scabbard. When the friction resistance is broken,
slide the blade gently from the scabbard, making sure
the back of the blade, not the edge, contacts the scabbard
during the withdrawal. This avoids dulling the blade and
cutting the scabbard.
To re-sheath the blade, hold the katana handle
in the right hand, edge up, and the scabbard by the wrapped
section with the left hand, making sure that the scabbard
is curving in the same direction as the blade. Carefully
insert the tip of the blade into the throat of the scabbard
and gently slide the scabbard and blade together, again
making sure that the back of the blade, not the edge,
is in contact with the scabbard. Resistance will be felt
when the guard is within about an inch of the scabbard,
and a slightly firmer push will then be needed to fully
seat the blade.
Always store your Katana horizontally with the
edge side up. This prevents the edge from bearing on the
scabbard and preserves the condition of both. If the fit
between the Katana and the scabbard becomes loose, through
usage, the fit must be restored to prevent accidental
unsheathing.
Contents of Maintenance Kit
1.) Cotton Cloth
2.) Powder Ball, for applying polishing powder to blade
3.) Sword Oil
4.) Rice Paper, for cleaning oil from the blade, polishing
and spreading oil on the blade
5.) Brass Hammer, for removing and installing bamboo pins
in grip. While this tool is a traditional part of the
maintenance kit, we strongly recommend against disassembly
of the katana as the bamboo pins will wear, resulting
in a loose grip. Do not remove the handle without having
formal training.
The scabbard of your katana is finished in many
coats of black lacquer. To preserve the sheen, the scabbard
needs only to be wiped occasionally with a very soft cloth.
Handle the scabbard only by holding the wrapped section;
otherwise fine scratches caused by handling the lacquered
sections will dull the finish.
Blade maintenance is very important to preserve
the finish. The maintenance kit allows you to maintain
your blade the same way as original pieces were (and are)
maintained. Blade aintenance should be performed at least
every three months and any time the blade is ouched (skin
oil will cause rapid corrosion of fine steels).
First, use a sheet of rice paper to remove oil
from previous maintenance, holding the edge away from
you and working very carefully to avoid injury. (a soft
cotton cloth may also be used). Then tap the powder ball
lightly against the blade every two inches or so along
its length, dusting the blade very lightly with powder.
Then use a clean piece of rice paper or cotton cloth to
carefully rub over the powder to polish the blade. Repeat
until both sides of he blade have been polished and the
powder is removed. Be sure to guard against inhaling the
powder.
Apply a 2-3 drops of oil along the length of
each side of the blade and use a piece of rice paper or
cotton cloth to spread the oil evenly over the blade.
Be sure not to touch the blade again before re-sheathing.
We carry a high quality maintenance kit in our
store for a very reasonable price as well as many other
sword care items. Click
Here For Sword Care items
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