Nakayama Hon Tomae Kiita Japanese Natural Finishing Whetstone

Selected by us and imported directly from Japan, this Japanese whetstone has been sealed on the sides and back with clear lacquer for protection and extensively tested to assess its performance. Complete details of our testing results are provided below.

Hardness: 4.9
Nakayama is widely known for being the most treasured and desired whetstone mountain in Japan. Nakayama is one of the two original Honyama Mines along with Shobudani. This is an old mined stone with exceptional size which is extremely rare. This is a traditional Hon Tomae with bright yellow Kiita base color. Nakayama Kiita are widely considered the most desirable Whetstones in the World and they're quite rare and sought after. This particular example is a hard/fine Hon Tomae with classic yellow Kiita base color and detailed swirling patterns resembling Hachimai. This extra large Kiita has more than enough usable surface area for all applications including razors, knives, tools and swords. This is a super fine Kiita which is a tad less forgiving yet still extremely easy to use for its hardness level. When honing razors, both Nagura Progressions and standalone finishing are possible and Nagura progressions are great in terms of hardness and feedback. The added hardness increases the level of overall refinement by allowing for more breakdown to occur without introducing fresh, larger particles into the mix during slurry breakdown. Insanely keen, lightsaber edges can also be achieved via standalone finishing techniques as well. In terms of knives and tools, extremely fine, crisp edges can be achieved relatively quickly and easily and Kasumi polish is bright, reflective and mirror like. There is a short line within the Namazu which may need maintenance in the future but with the extra large size and surface area, it shouldn't be too much of an inconvenience even if it needs removal in the future.