Nakayama Tomae

Size (mm) / Weight

207x77x41 / 1,520g

Performance

Hardness / Fineness: 3- / 4-

This stone is very clean with no major inclusions, full-size, grit consistent, and soft enough to self slurry but not so soft as to be difficult to refine. The feed back is creamy and slick and with pressure you can work up a good quantity of mud that with lighter pressure can be refined. Edges are great for kitchen applications as well. This stone would also be an enjoyable pre-finisher for razors and tools. It cuts very quickly and would be a superb bridge from mid-grit naturals or synthetics to finer natural stones in addition to being a capable stone on its own.

The kasumi finish is loaded with contrast and produces an extremely clean core steel. On very soft iron there will be a very fine, but visible in harsh light, scratch pattern. The polish picture is a nakiri made for me by RDG, a talented young smith working out of Sante Fe, NM. 

Aesthetics & Other Notes

This stone has fascinating coloring - showing mottled patterns in deep purples, greens, and yellows. There is a thin layer of kawa on the bottom and a shallow benign line on the surface. 

Nakayama (中山)

This Eastern mine is famous for its finishing stones, awasedo. Stone with kiita coloring from multiple strata are particularly prized by carpenters and sharpeners alike. Compared to stones of similar hardness and fineness from other mines, Nakayama stones are known for having a more pleasant sharpening feeling. All authetntic stones bearing the famous Maruka stamp are from Nakayama.