Ohira Momiji Suita

Size (mm) / Weight

204x75x38 / 1,482g

Performance

Hardness / Fineness: 4- / 4

Boasting an exceptionally clean surface, this stone is a true performer through and through. This stone offers stellar tactile feedback that allows polishing or sharpening even most difficult materials with relative ease. It works quickly generating a paste slurry that quickly turns black with use. On san mai knives, the polish is an even highly contrasted kasumi. Edges are perfect for knives - very refined but with enough bite to handle waxy skins on items like peppers and tomatoes. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this stone as a pre-finishser for razors or tools as well. 

Aesthetics & Other Notes

This stone has creamy white to grey base coloring and dense momiji patterning throughout. With the exception of a few mm, the stone is sunashi and without lines. This type of very clean high quality Ohira is getting harder to source. This stone is sealed.

Ohira (大平, Oohira, Ohirayama)

A Western mine famous for Uchigumori and the quality of its suita. Although the mine is still occasionally worked, it is increasingly challenging to find uchigumori and Ohira suita available for export. Reportedly, many togishi are worried about the long term supply of quality uchigumori stones. Due to the premium that comes with Ohira suita and uchigumori, many less scrupulous sellers will attempt to pass off stones from other mines as Ohira.