The paper should be soft and thin.
The ink block is cut into some different shapes. And you choose some of them to use for different surfaces of the blade.  (=> ink block)

The weights settle the paper onto the blade. It is made with lead bullets filled in a bag.
Never use a magnet, even if it is convenient. It makes blades magnetic.

Tracing the blade with the ink block.


Sketching the hamon and other activities.

  

Oshigata can bring us an image of the blade without studying it in our hands. Once it was a good way to study blades. Today we have a good camera to take pictures of blades. So it is not so important as before, but still interesting.
 
An oshigata made by the smith himself


An oshigata for display

 
Chinese ink block for Oshigata

You can get it at the IIMURA sword accessory shop.