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In many shows characters poke their Japanese swords with a soft-looking ball
on a stick. It seems that swordsmen in real life did that too. What's the
purpose of that? Here's one example from Shaman king E02:

[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/zPjN3m.gif)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/zPjN3m.gif)


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2016-04-21T21:14:26.410
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2018-06-12T04:05:28.230
2016-04-22T01:25:10.660
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question
tropes akame-ga-kill shaman-king
Why do sword owners tap them with a fluffy ball on a stick?


This “fluffy ball” is a standard part of any sword care kit (see the red ball
in the picture below). It contains some sort of powder ‒ I believe chalk ‒
that is used gather and bind any fluids on the sword before oiling it again.
(That powder acts sort of like a sponge.)

When cleaning your sword you will usually use clean water to remove any big
pieces of dirt, then distribute this chalk powder all over your sword by
“poking” the “fluffy ball” on the sword and then use a clean cloth to wipe the
blade clean before putting the oil on it and distributing it evenly.

[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/QZMhy.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/QZMhy.jpg)


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2016-04-21T21:26:32.097
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answer


As @almost-time said, plus it helps polishing the blade. If you have rough
metal, you start with harsh sandpaper (or stone), then go to finer and finer
as the metal is more and more polished. (It is work of sword maker on this
level). But when it is polished enough you need to use really fine and soft
materials. At some level you can improve it only with something soft as a soft
chalk or so. Also the metal is still corroding, even if very little so you
need to keep it polished. The finer polishing, the less and smaller scratches,
the less of influence of weather and so.

Also this make some more bond between the warrior and the sword, as it makes
any repeating caring about something. And the sword is soul of the warrior, so
the bond is natural part of his mind. You can have servant to clean your
clothes and to cook your food, but you take care about your sword personally.


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2016-04-22T12:44:46.210
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answer


The powder (and the ball) is called 'uchiko' and, while it is mildly abrasive,
it is used to absorb moisture and acidic grease (from fingers) on the blade. I
teach iai, and after each session I will inspect the blade, tsuka etc for any
loose items, wipe the blade with very soft paper, tap with the ball to coat
both sides and the back of the blade with powder, wipe ONCE with paper to
remove the powder, and then oil


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2018-01-25T05:26:10.243
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answer