How to handle a sword

This chapter shows basic way of handling sword .

1.   Wear a white glove or hold 2 handkerchiefs (for both hands).

2.  Bow lightly, then hold Tsuka (hilt) with your right hand, hold Saya (scabbard) with your left-hand.  Pull Saya out.  When the sword is pulled from Saya, hold Saya right angle so that the Mune at the bottom, Ha should be at the top.  The sword should be resting on the Mune and not let the sword touch the inside of the Saya.  This way, it does not accidentally get scratches from any grit

3.  Set down saya on the left.  Prepare a small hammer made for the sword.

4.  Using a sword tool, push out the mekugi (peg).

5.   Pull tsuka and habaki out (metal piece just above the Tsuka, gold piece in the picture below) and set them down on the right.

6.  Put mekugi in the hole of Tsuka so that it sticks up.  This is to prevent Mekugi to get lost.

7.  Hold Nakago (inside the hilt) with your right hand.  Support under the blade with  Washi ( Japanese rice paper, handkerchief or tissue paper).

8.  All the works on the blade should show with the light reflect on the surface of the sword.  To see Hamon, Ji-Hada, and Boshi etc, better, move the sword up and down, sideways to reflect the light on the right position.

9.  After finish looking at the sword, reverse the process to put it back.