Some blades end up fully traditionally done. Others are more of a significantly modified hyrbid in nature. By that I mean that I remain mostly traditional but have found that there are a few things that truly help with modern steels like the 1086M and L6 used by Howard Clark. I do not work on antiques. Please don't ask, I won't do it.
Japanese swords are very precise, elegant, and complex blades.
The best swords have an incredible symmetry and beauty. Those things are more by-products of a good polish. A good polish brings out the shape the smith intended, cleaning up the lines, shifting things subtly into position, moving lines, changing surfaces, and basically bringing out the beauty of the smith's vision. There are polishers who only work to bring out activities and get the edge sharp. That's fine if that's all you want.