Sharpening a katana sword is not something you rush into. It's a process that requires careful preparation. In Japan, the art of katana sword sharpening, or 'Togi', is considered a formal art form, one that takes years, even decades, to master. But don't let that put you off. With the right tools, a bit of patience, and a healthy respect for the blade, you'll be well on your way to sharpening your katana.

The slurry created on your water stone will be a combination of the grits from the water stone and from the nagura. When pairing a nagura with a water stone, it is typical to choose a nagura that is the same or higher grit than your water stone. For instance, with a 1000 grit water stone, you would use a 1000 grit or finer nagura. While it is possible to use a nagura that is coarser than your water stone, doing so will introduce larger abrasive particles to the stone's surface, making the slurry coarser than what you would get from the stone itself. Maximize the Polish

Horimono Repair

Do this step a few times. In between each set of passes, do three things: wipe the blade clean, inspect your progress, and rinse the stone of the residue that accumulated on it. The key is to pay attention, use your handy dandy stainless steel ruler to identify the high spots, maybe mark them with a pencil, and use the nagura on those areas first. Don’t be a ninny and rub the nagura all over the stone willy nilly like you’re washing your pet goat. Make a plan. Work the plan. Develop good habits and speed will follow. Remember, a katana is more than just a weapon. It's a piece of history, samurai sword, a work of art, and a symbol of the samurai spirit. Caring for it properly is a way of honoring that history and preserving it for future generations. Cleaning the Katana After Sharpening

With artificial waterstones, which are far more common these days, there is of course no contamination that needs to be removed and most people use flattening plates of some sort to keep their stones flat. If you use a diamond stone for flattening and you just let the stone dry with the slurry from flattening on it and you have lots of slurry. In that sense the nagura is obsolete. In my case, I bought a somewhat similar adjustable angle guide from "General" brand of tools that uses two small wheels that can roll freely at both sides of the sandpaper strip if you cut it a little wider than the blade to be sharpened, so that they don't have to roll over the sandpaper. Cutting the sandpaper in those widths gives several strips from every sandpaper sheet, which means even more savings!

The downside to these nagura is they can be very wasteful. Often the amount of slurry generated is unnecessary for sharpening the blade. An additional danger of this nagura is slurry polution. When using a diamond nagura there is always a risk that one of the diamond grits releases from the nagura into the slurry. In such a circumstance, you may seriously scratch the blade you are working on. It is worth it though to give it a try yourself and see if you prefer this method over other nagura. I have grown to prefer this method personally. Nagura Progression A: Any professional polisher can do this but it is an inappropriate thing to do. Because doing this will leave a dip or wave in the sword, plus the refinishing of the rest of the sword will have to be do with only Hazuya and Jizuya. There may be other areas that have very mild staining that may not be totally visible. At best the polish will look just ok. No good polisher will want to associate is good name to that kind of work, only a polisher that has no pride in his work and just wants the money will do this to a sword. Some might be tempted to use power tools for the job, but traditionalists would strongly advise against it. The heat generated by power tools can damage the blade's temper, ruining its cutting edge. Plus, there's something profoundly satisfying about sharpening a katana by hand, feeling the blade against the stone, and seeing the edge come to life under your touch. Remember, sharpening and polishing a katana is a journey, not a race. Take your time, choose your tools wisely, and respect the blade. Setting Up Your Sharpening Station Q: If the tip of a sword is broken but the rest of the sword is in good polish. Does the sword need a full polish? Protect your investment by ensuring proper maintenance and sharpening of your blades with the Dalstrong Premium Whetstone Set. Peak performance never looked so good to you or your wallet.