Japanese Natural Toishi Finishing Whetstone - Narutaki Tomase Mizu Asagi

This exceptional Japanese whetstone was selected and purchased by us directly from Japan, then thoroughly tested and coated with cashew lacquer on sides and back to protect the stone for long term use. It measures 122 mm (4.80 in) long × 72 mm (2.83 in) wide × 21 mm (0.83 in) tall, and weighs 551g.

Stone Testing Details:

Hardness: LV 5
Beautiful razor stone from the Hon Narutaki mine. Many stones are stamped Narutaki in reference to the general geographic term “Narutaki region”, which refers to the Umegahata area encompassing the eastern mines. (Nakayama, Shobu, Ozaki, Ozuku, Okudo, Narutaki). Stones from the Hon Narutaki mine are getting increasingly harder to find due to the mine closing nearly 50 years ago. Hon Narutaki stones are similar in characteristic to Nakayama stones. This stone is one of those examples. The Mizu Asagi (water color) base is complimented by beautiful burnt umber Kan (circle) pattern around the edge. Water only honing is silky smooth with dense but forgiving feel. With diamond plate slurry, the stone speeds up and is capable of removing medium grit scratches quickly. The abrasive slurry is lightly granular but super fine creating a whispy feel and audible feedback. Mikawa Nagura progressions are wonderful and the stone doesn't self slurry much into the mix. The feedback is very clear and the edge was super fine creating a comfortable shaving experience. For knives, this stone is very fine but easy going relative to its hardness. The resulting finish is bright, lightly cloudy and very detailed

A photo of the resulting polish left on a high quality Japanese knife is shown.