Loving your weapon
One loves the weapon by embalming it with lineseed oil.
Before 1, 2.
After: 1, 2.
I used simple toilet paper, which I folded first and then sort of dipped the oil in the toilet paper. I then proceeded to rub the oil all over the sword. (”After” pics)
Now I need to let it dry for one full day, and afterwards clean off any redundant oil that remains on the sword.
These tips I got from the man at the store (Sakura) where I bought this perfectly balanced bokuto made out of authentic japanese oak.
The man at the store also told me they grow these trees in China, because tree-planting in masses has been forbidden in Japan.
If you are interested in the ways of the Japanese, you should definitely visit the Sakura shop. You will find it just across “De Witte Non” in Hasselt (Belgium).