#742 Aiiwatani Asagi Goma Namazu Nashiji Hard Fine Crisp 4 Hardness 4 Fineness 735 Grams

Hard and fine cutting tall and narrow faced Aiiwatani which is a good hard stone but sadly has a hard scratchy black 'toxic' line (not actually toxic just scratchy) it has been dug out and works fie but the price is greatly reduced with this. Will work for sharpening or as a large tomo-ish nagura on other harder stones. 

735 grams 133x50x48mm tall 

Aiiwatani: A ‘Higashi-Mono’ (Eastern Mine) whetstone that is close in proximity to Takashima and Wakasa, two mines known for their high density stones. Aiiwatani are great shiage-toishi(fine stones) when you are looking for a refined edge. Typically more mellow in cutting action, but this can lead to a cleaner polish.

Asagi: This aesthetic term refers to the general color of the stone. Typically, Asagi stones are grey, light blue, greyish-blue/green, and tan. They are usually quite clean stones that are on the harder side. However, softer Asagi stones are great for knife polishing.

Goma:

This aesthetic quality looks like tiny black dots, or little sesame seeds in the stone. This quality typically translates to having a fast cutting speed.

Namazu:

Translating to ‘cat-fish’, this aesthetic quality looks like white blotches on the stone. Usually this quality has a great sharpening feel that is smooth and tactile. In extreme cases of Namazu where the stone is very hard, it can be scratchy with too much pressure.

Nashiji:

Meaning ‘pear-skin’, this aesthetic quality looks like tiny brown/pale dots on the stone. This quality can look similar to Su-holes on Suita stones as well as be a quality on Suita.