how to treat the blade

 
Japanese blade is made from the pure steel, and is completely polished.
So, suitable treatment is necessary.
Every time the blade should be coated with good oil. And we never touch the
blade with naked finger.
 
How to touch the blade
Be careful do not injure yourself by unexpected drawing. Keep handle upward.
Hook  your thumb on tsuba if there is.

drawing
Set the sword with cutting edge upward.
The case of no tsuba:
Hold the scabbard with your left hand, and hold the handle with your right hand.
Then push the left hand with the right thumb.

The case of the handle with a tsuba.

Push the tsuba with the thumb.

Then draw the blade carefully.

looking at the blade

Do not hook your thumb on the edge of shirasaya handle. The edge is easy to be
dirty.
Do not speak facing the blade. Spit easily makes the steel rusty.
  
looking in detail
When you want to look at the blade in detail, steel particles, layer pattern, hamon,
shadow,.....  you should remove the oil on the blade off.
 
taking off the handle
At first, take off the pin in the handle.

Hold the handle tightly with your left hand, and pound your left wrist with your
right fist.
Be careful of the power of the pounding, To stick out the blade from the handle,
few centimetres are enough.

If it is so tight that the blade does not move, tools like these are convenient.

Use them with the wood hammer. Do not hit the handle directly with the
hammer.
Then take out the blade from the handle.
.

Take the habaki off.

In case of koshirae, you should put the blade in the scabbard again, then you can
take off every fitting easily.

removing oil on the blade off                                 (photos of the treatment tools)

To remove old oil, wipe the blade carefully with soft paper or cloth.
The paper and cloth must be soft and clean, and needs to be thick enough to save
your fingers.
We use some quality tissue papers or well washed flannel.
Special kind of the japanese paper is the best to wipe, but it is not the only one
that can be used.

Probably the oil would not be removed completely.

Then put the uchiko powder on the whole blade, and wipe again with fresh
papers.
The papers for oil and for uchiko powder should be separated.
Please repeat uchiko and wipe till the old oil is removed completely.
 
appreciation
 
form, shaping,

steel, particles, layer pattern,

hamon, shadows,

signature, rust condition,

After appreciating, coat the blade with the new oil, use a small piece of flannel.

Then put the habaki on the blade.

 
In case of shirasaya, stick the tongue into into the handle, and lightly pound the
bottom of handle to fit them.

 
In case of koshirae, sheathe the blade again, then put all fittings on the tongue.
Do not confuse the kinds of seppa, and face of the tsuba/seppa.
Draw the blade again, and pound the bottom of the handle.
This is a safety way to fit handle.

Never forget the fasten pin.