Aiiwatani Tomae Mizu Asagi Haubute Japanese Natural Finishing Whetstone

This exceptional Japanese whetstone was selected by us and imported directly from Japan, thoroughly tested and sealed on sides and back to protect the stone for long term use. 

It measures 205 mm (8.07 inches) long × 76 mm (2.99 inches) wide × 44 mm (1.73 inches) tall, and weighs 1710 g (60.31 oz / 3.77 lbs).

Hardness: 4.9
Extremely hard and fine Aiiwatani razor finisher. This stone is the definition of a high quality Razor hone in all regards. It has been hidden in the warehouse and was mined generations ago by the wholesaler's ancestors. While dry, the stone has a unique white haze called Haebute which transitions into creamy beige. When wet, the pastel, Mizu Asagi blue shows through with tiny black Goma. The backside shows the marks of hand chiseling. The stone was cut in present day or it would surely have been hand-sawn during the time period of extraction. It was likely left in its raw ore state and forgotten about due its insane density/hardness which would have surely been the determining factor as hand sawing and processing stones of this hardness would have been nearly impossible in the absence of power tools. This is a super hard Asagi which is perfect for razor finishing. It works best with Mikawa Nagura progressions but also performs very well when used standalone. Almost too hard for knives and tools except for light finishing where a mirror like polish is desired. Collection grade stone all the way!

A photo of the stone's polishing ability on soft and hard steels of a Japanese kanna (plane) blade are shown.