Making a Masterpiece
Polishing the blade
The katana, fully forged, now goes to a skilled sword polisher, who
may spend more than two weeks honing the sword's razor-sharp edge.
He meticulously rubs the blade with a series of grinding and
polishing stones, some valued at more than $1,000 each and often
passed down through families for generations. Sometimes called
"water stones," these tools are typically composed of hard silicate
particles suspended in clay. As the clay slowly wears away during
use, more silicate particles are revealed, guaranteeing excellent
polishing quality throughout the life of the stone. Each consecutive
set of polishing stones contains finer and finer silicate particles
and removes less and less of the steel.