These stone were hand selected and tested at the quarry by Tsunesaburo, one of our favorite plane blade blacksmith.

Water was applied on stone to show the color better on pictures.

Sizes are measured at longest part of the whole stone, not the actual flat surface.

General info given by Tsunesaburo

About Nakayama and Okudo natural stones

Among the natural stones available in Umegahata, Ukyo, Kyoto, these are the highest quality stones available. Sometimes called Tohmon or Higashimon, these are very tight, easier to get the slurry out, and are highly recommended for finishing your carbon steel.

Simple Q and A

Q:Whats the grit of natural stone?
A:Unlike synthetic stones, natural stones do not have specific grits. Using the slurry containing sharpening particles, which breaks down even finer while sharpening, it's more like lapping using the slurry between the blade and the stone. While synthetic stones put an edge on tool according to their grit, natural stones will give sharper edge the more time you spend sharpening.

Q:Can these stones be soaked in water?
A:No, put some water on top and start sharpening. If you soak them you risk breaking them.

Q:How do you determine the hardness of stone?
A:Put a drop of water on surface and see how long it takes for the stone to suck the water. If the water remains for more than a minute its either a "hard" stone or "tight or condensed" stone. These two should not be confused. What you want is a tight stone.

Q:I sometimes get unlikely scratches on surface.
A:Harder stones are harder to get the slurry out, and while sharpening, the laminated soft iron can sometimes scratch the surface. To avoid this use the nagura to get the some slurry out before sharpening. If the stone stops releasing slurry while sharpening, you can also fix this by using nagura on it.

Q:How do you lap the stone?
A:Either 1000 grit diamond plate or #180 water proof sand paper on flat glass. Both needs water.

Q:So how do you tell which stone is good?
A:Honestly, you'll have to try them with your own tools. If you would like to come to the store and try them out please give us a call.

Q:Why do you prefer Koppa over cut rectangular stone?
A:Cut stones are simply much more expensive for same quality. You can acquire a high quality Koppa for less price and there are more higher quality Koppa out there. It will take a professional carpenter 3-5 years to use 5mm thickness of stone, so most Koppa will last you very long time. However you will need to mount the stone, usually on a piece of wood for stability. 

Q:When do you use natural stones?
A:After #6000 to #8000 synthetic finisher.

Description of Each Stone

Stone#1
Okudo Suita
3.4lb 22.5cm x 14.5cm x 3cm

Stone#2
Okudo Suita
1.2lb 19.5cm x 8cm x 2cm

Stone#3
Okudo Suita
2.4lb 16cm x 11cm x 3.5cm

Stone#4
Okudo Suita
1.4lb 19cm x 9cm x 2cm

Stone#5
Okudo Suita
1.4lb 20cm x 10cm x 3.5cm

Stone#6
Okudo Tomae
2.6lb 19cm x 11cm x 3.5cm

Stone#7
Okudo Tomae
3.6lb 30cm x 12cm x 4cm

Stone#8
Okudo Tomae
5lb 23cm x 11cm x 6cm

Stone#9
Okudo Tomae
2.4lb 14cm x 12cm x 3.5cm

Stone#10
Okudo Tomae
2.8lb 26cm x 12cm x 3cm

Stone#11
Nakayama Tomae
4.6lb 23cm x 11cm x 5cm

Stone#12
Nakayama Tomae
2lb 17cm x 15cm x 3cm

Stone#13
Nakayama Tomae
2.8lb 18cm x 14cm x 5cm

Stone#13
Nakayama Tomae
2.8lb 18cm x 14cm x 5cm

Stone#14
Umajiyama Awasedo
1.4lb 18.5cm x 6.5cm x 3cm

Stone#15
Honyama Awasedo
1.2lb 17cm x 8cm x 3cm

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WARNING

This product can potentially expose you to chemicals including lead, nickel and chromium which are known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm. For more information go to www.P65Warning.ca.gov