I wanted to share a Japanese arrowhead (yanone) I just acquired. Most Japanese polishers do not work on yanone for a variety of reasons, so it can be tricky to find them in good condition. But the better examples were folded and heat treated just like Japanese swords, so they can have hada and hamon just like their "big brothers."
This example is doubly unusual in that it has what is called a sashikomi polish. The popular form of modern polish is called kesho, and involves an artistic whitening and contrasting between the hamon and the rest of the steel. In contrast, sashikomi has lower contrast, but can be a better choice for certain styles of hamon that kesho might blur over. For instance, Mino swords with sambon-sugi hamon (three trees) are sometimes polished in sashikomi to retain the distinctive look of the well-defined triple peaks.
Anyway, I'm really happy with it and I hope you enjoy the photos!
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