Honyama Aka Renge Shiro Suita

Dimensions (mm) / Weight

220x85x50 / 2,350g

Performance

Hardness / Fineness: 5 / 5+

This stone is exceptionally high quality. While it is very hard and extremely fine, it is not challenging to use as many similar stones are. The feedback is hard without being glassy and the stone cuts relatively quickly for the extreme level of refinement on offer. While it won't flatter imperfect surface prep or sub-par technique, it can polish and sharpen at the highest level. I'd comfortably recommend this stone for razor finishing, tool sharpening, and even kitchen knife edges. Given its hardness, size, and purity I'd consider this piece to be a lifetime / heirloom stone. 

This is the finest grained suita I have ever used.

Aesthetics & Other Notes

The stone has a very pure white base.. There is a dense renge patterning throughout well. While there there are visible su holes on the sides, they are sparse and not concerning at this time. There is a full, even layer of kawa on the back. 

The stone is sealed.

Honyama (  本山)

It is easy to get caught up in the precise provenance of certain stones. While it is always preferable to have precise information to a stones source, there are many incredible stones for which the wholesaler or vendor lacks enough information to give a precise origin. I consider it the sign of a good seller to acknowledge when a stone's mine is unknown.