Katana Polishing
A session with one of Japan's most famous Master katana Polishers
The blade you will work on may be centuries old. The master choosing to teach on whatever is in front of him that day: blades brought in by families, by collectors, by shrines.
This master has spent decades working on blades that travel to him from across Japan. He is one of the country's most famous master polishers, as well an appraiser authorized to write provenance documentation: official records of era, condition, and lineage. Sessions with him are extremely limited.
You’ll move through a sequence of progressively finer whetstones, each stage changing how the steel takes light. Posture, coordination, and pressure determine the outcome. The master adjusts everything as you go.
The hamon is the temper line that runs along the edge of the blade, formed during the hardening process and unique to each katana, considered one of the most important traits of a genuine katana. It, and the blade’s edge, is brought to life through this process of polishing.
What you carry from the session is as much how deeply the master knows katana, the hundreds of hours behind every blade, as well as everything you’ll learn with your hands.
Please note this experience requires significant time sitting and bending over low objects and is not recommended for those with back conditions.
What to know
This session books in small groups and is more scarcely available
Your Master
Manazu Sensei is a traditional Japanese sword polisher.
Born in Kumamoto in 1950, he began his apprenticeship with his father at the age of fifteen. He has practiced the classical art of sword polishing ever since: not merely sharpening a blade, but drawing out its jihada, hamon, and character so that the smith’s work can be seen as it was meant to be seen.
He is a member of the Society for the Preservation of Japanese Art Swords (NBTHK) and of the Atsuta Jingū Sword Dedication Association. In 1996 he founded the Nihon Tō Masumikai; in 1998 he opened its polishing study group; and in 2008 he established the Katana Museum in Osaka’s Hirano district. He has received multiple awards in the NBTHK polishing competitions, including special prizes.
His documented work includes blades of unusual cultural weight: a tantō quenched under Prince Mikasa, a tachi dedicated at Ise Jingū, a sacred treasure sword of Sumiyoshi Taisha (an Osaka Prefectural cultural property), and more recently the treasure sword Kuninaga of Kuhonji Shrine. Over a career of many decades he has handled well over a thousand swords, including historically important pieces.
Master Manazu is known for teaching constantly. Disciples study with him in large numbers, including students from outside Japan.
To be received as a student in this workshop is an honor that is not given lightly.