| NAKAYAMA
#15 AWASEDO
|
|
||||||||||||||||
|
CLICK PHOTO TO ENLARGE
Grit Test for NAKAYAMA #15
|
NAKAYAMA #15 MARUKA KIITA AWASADO 210mm x 73mm x 33mm This is a really excellent stone with no inclusions on the top surface and a very even super hard grain with a touch of rose color showing in the lower portion. Probably one of my top ten best stones and an outstanding example of a famous Kiita color and mine. Grit test photos show that this stone is in the 45,000 grit realm. This stone polishes the hard steel hagane to a bright mirror finish and also polishes the soft iron hagane to a soft mirror but leaving a distinctive kasumi contrast. Reads on the stone top from the upper right down, JUN SHOSHIN HONYAMA (pure specially chosen original mountain) which is a registered trade name, And at the middle SAIKOKYUHIN (very best quality) This Nakayama Maruka awasedo toishi stone is NEW/OLD stock from a closed store in Japan. It has not been used other than to test the quality at one edge of the stone as you can see in the photos. You may find other references to the Maruka Nakayama mines on the internet. This mine was known throughout its history to produce the finest awasedo finishing stones in Japan and probably in the world. The Maruka registered stamp on the top of this stone and the single toothed fine saw marks help to date the stone to before WW2. This is an actual Maruka Nakayama awasedo, it is not a fake. Stones of this color and varity have not been mined from Nakayama for well over half a century and they never will be mined again as these rare deposits are depleted. The mine was closed in the 1960s, and up until that time the stones hauled out were of lesser quality. I will not be able to replace or offer these stones again. This is a very hard stone and it requires advanced sharpening skills to use. These very hard stones are more easily used if a diamond nagura (DN) plate is used before hand to build up a slurry.
**DN-Diamond Nagura |
