Ohira Tomae Asagi Japanese Natural Finishing Whetstone

This exceptional Japanese whetstone was selected by us and imported directly from Japan and thoroughly tested.

Hardness: 4.8
Ohira is a Tanba Area, western mine which is known for its consistent Awasedo and Suita. Ohira produced a wide variety of stone types with varying character traits making it an extremely versatile and treasured mine. Some of the most highly prized Suita were mined from Ohira and the most famous Uchigumori certainly came from Ohira. This Pure Asagi is a lower Tomae strata and thus darker colored and quite hard. Perfect for razors and tools where a mirror- like finish is desired. There aren't as many Ohira stones which work well with Mikawa nagura progressions but this is definitely one of them. Makes a wonderful razor hone as it's slightly larger abrasive particles cut the steel effectively. Being a harder stone, it is capable of a higher level of refinement than most Ohira stones by allowing for maximum particle breakdown. This translates to a bit of extra honing to finish but the results are amazing and produces a hyper keen, comfortable shaving edge.