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SHIRO HON-SUITA AWASEDO with RENGE
208mm x 77mm x 48mm
Reads on the stone top from the upper right down in small kanji GOKUJO (extremely fine quality).
And in larger kanji to the left HON-SUITA (the name of the strata)
And in the middle left edge reads HAKUBA or (White Horse).
At the lower right corner SAIKOKYU (very best quality)
This Shiro (white) Hon-Suita stone came from a store in a small town in Japan that closed in the 1970s containing stock dating back to the 1930s. This awasedo has not been used other then to test the quality at one edge of the stone as you can see in the photos. It is considered to be NEW/OLD STOCK.
A big beefy 4 1/2 pound awasedo of superior quality and purity, stones of this character and size have not been mined (read this article) for many years and come from the deepest strata of the Mt. Higashi mines of Kyoto. The renge is evenly dispersed in light flecks throughout the stone and you can see it on the sides of the stone too.
These old mined stones develop a microns thin film from exposure to the air and the film tones the top surface a light buff color. After the first sharpenings or use of a diamond plate the true color of the stone emerges and will look closer to the whites of the sides and back, and when top dressed using a diamond plate produces a white/light buff paste. Using this paste to sharpen a blade produces a thick black slurry very quickly. I am recommending that all of these deep strata hard stones be top dressed with a diamond plate and I feel that the use of a diamond flattening plate is the key to using these hard stones. I use an medium grit Atoma myself. When I do develop a paste I try to leave it on the stone after using and not wash it off to save it for the next time I use the stone.
This is a very, very fine grit stone that produces a mirror like finish to the hagane that you can see in the photos while leaving the jigane soft but reflective. I used a diamond plate in the central lower area to test the stone and break through the oxidized skin that has formed over the last 50-60 years. I found the stone to be very easy to use after the diamond. Before using the plate I could sharpen and build a paste but it took longer to do so.
The back of the stone has been hand chiseled showing the great respect the mine's stone grader hand for this stone.
Note: If you have never had an opportunity to use a true hon suita awase toishi before, don't miss this stone. They are very rare and in the U.S. almost non existent on the open market.
A Swedish blue steel Ishido Teruhide blade was used to sample this stone.
This stone has tremendous cutting speed/strength and produces black water within a few strokes.
Hardness Grit Speed/Strength Price in U.S. $
9++/10 10-/10 9+/10 SOLD