Japanese Natural Toishi Finishing Whetstone - Shobudani 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 143 mm (5.63 in) long × 80 mm (3.15 in) wide × 30 mm (1.18 in) thick, and weighs 932g.

Stone Testing Details:

Hardness: LV 5
Very hard and beautiful Mizu Asagi. This is the hardest Shobudani of the bunch. It has great surface area leaving plenty of room for honing. This stone is very dense and great for razors. There is a small flaw in the bottom right corner which has been removed and does not interfere with honing. With water only, the stone feels fast and smooth with a delicate feel when moving across the stone. There is a hint of pasty feedback but it's very subtle. With light diamond plate slurry, the stone cut faster and the slurry darkened immediately. This stone was great with Mikawa Nagura and the edge when finished on Tomo, was a screamer. For knives, this stone must be used with a bit less pressure than the others. There is less elasticity but it is still present making for a smooth sharpening experience. Kasumi polish was very bright and mirror like with light haze.

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